With just over 24 hours to go until the 2018 NBA Draft, a few principles of Golden State's draft approach have come into full view.
For one, they're continuing with the strategy that has seemed to work so well for them over the last several years: that being, taking the best player available, regardless of position.
2018 NBA DraftThursday, June 214:00 p.m.Barclays CenterBrooklyn, NYWATCH: ESPNGSW Selections:1st Round, 28th Overall
"Our philosophy is usually just to take the best guy we can," said Warriors General Manager and President of Basketball Operations Bob Myers at his pre-Draft media availability on Tuesday, "but we probably have more bigs than wings – at least young bigs – on our roster, but that doesn't mean we won't go that direction. At 28, you're kind of at the mercy of what happens above you, and what we've always done is whoever rates the highest on our board, we take."
In Golden State's eyes, there are certain characteristics they prioritize in determining who that best player available is.
"When it comes down to it, character and IQ are very important for us," said Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel Larry Harris. "We look at those two things first. Obviously, the talent is there, or we wouldn't even be talking about the guy."
The Warriors will be officially on the clock when it comes time for the 28th overall pick in Thursday's Draft, and based on comments from Myers and Harris, it sure sounds like they're prioritizing a certain skill set with that selection, as well.
"In this league, it seems to be if you can't guard...they will pick on you, and they will exploit you," said Myers. "And so, players that can defend their position can play basketball."
"We need a guy that at least knows, hey, in order to get on the floor with us – the scoring can come, we can find ways to score the basketball – but you need to be able to defend your position," said Harris.
So, high character, high IQ and ability to defend their position. It's a tall task to find all those qualities in one person at the tail end of the first round, but it's not as if Golden State hasn't proven the ability to do so, and you don't have to go back far to find an example.
In each of the last two drafts, the Warriors have found a young contributor with the 38th overall pick in Patrick McCaw and Jordan Bell. A year before that, they selected Kevon Looney with the 30th overall pick. And in attempting to find another diamond in the rough this time around, Golden State has had the benefit of perhaps their greatest such example partaking in certain parts of the draft evaluation process.
The last time the Warriors picked higher in the first round than they are positioned to on Thursday, they selected Harrison Barnes with the seventh overall pick in 2012. 28 picks later in the second round, the Dubs chose a high character, high IQ defender named Draymond Green out of Michigan State University.
"That draft pick put us in a direction that we're still benefitting from," said Myers on Tuesday.
Myers is accurate in more ways than one. Not only has Green played a critical role in Golden State's run of back-to-back Championships and three titles in four years, but over the last several days, he's been at the practice facility on his own volition, overseeing some of the draft workout sessions that have taken place there.
"We didn't say, 'Hey Draymond, we need you here to come evaluate the draft' or whatever," said Harris. "I just think our guys are invested in what we're doing...You would be foolish not to try to get their insight."
A year ago, Kevin Durant positioned himself in the Warriors draft room for the entire duration of the Draft. This year, they have a three-time NBA champion and former Defensive Player of the Year providing some of that valuable insight. He hasn't been physically participating in the draft workouts, mind you, but Green's presence there has been a benefit to both the Warriors' basketball operations staff, as well as the draft-eligible prospects participating in the workouts.
"That's the kind of guy you want," said Myers of Green. "That's our business...it's basketball. So, to have a guy like him, who's a three-time champion, care about who we're taking at 28 shows great leadership. I'm sure the players look over there and kind of say, 'That's Draymond Green.' He was the 35th pick. It's motivation for those guys."
From his earliest moments since joining the Warriors, Green has displayed a penchant for understanding the game at a high level. On Tuesday, Myers produced a football analogy in describing Green's basketball IQ on his second-ever day of practice, saying it would be like drafting a middle linebacker, and having him call the plays on the second day.
Soon after making that comparison, Harris related a concept deduced by Green, which has infiltrated the Warriors' strategy heading into Thursday:
"Draymond said this the other day. There are 82-game players and then there are 16-game players. And our mentality is, yes, 82 is important, but what guys can play in 16 games? And the way the playoffs are going now, a lot of guys can be regular season players, but there's not a lot of playoff players that win at a high level."
So, clearly the Warriors have a certain kind of prospect in mind for their draft selection(s) on Thursday. Not only would they like to find a high character and high IQ individual with an ability to defend their own position, but ideally, that individual's skill set would be a viable and playable one at the most critical time of the season.
Of course, the Warriors aren't alone in that respect, and there are only so many of those players available in the draft each year. Historically, the chances of finding one are certainly greater towards the top of the draft than they are towards the bottom, so the odds aren't necessarily in Golden State's favor. However, that hasn't stopped the Warriors from doing just that in recent years, and perhaps with an assist from Green – who happens to know a fair amount about beating the odds himself – they'll be able to accomplish the feat once again on Thursday.