Now that the 2019-20 NBA season has come to an end, attention shifts to the 2020 NBA Draft presented by State Farm, which will take place on November 18. Golden State received the second overall pick for the draft in August’s Draft Lottery, marking just the second time the franchise has had this pick since the Lottery’s inception in 1985.
As you look ahead to the draft and weigh the options of what the team can do with the No. 2 pick, hear what President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Bob Myers had to say regarding the front office’s upcoming decision in a recent interview.
His thoughts on having the second overall pick and what the team will do:
“Whoever we pick, I am sure there will be some people that are happy and some people that won’t be, and then they’ll change their mind a month later because they’re allowed to and I’m not… We haven’t had a chance to see these guys… it’s too early to say.”
Do Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green provide input on the Warriors’ decision?
“Klay doesn’t care. He’ll show up by training camp and be like: ‘Is that the guy right there? That the guy we drafted there?’… Draymond cares. Draymond loves it, he’s a junky. And Steph is different. He’s almost like ‘I trust you to do what you do if you think it’s right.’ If I call Steph and ask him, he’ll give an opinion… But Draymond is the uninvited commentary. He’ll do it no matter what you say or what you think. So it’s a good blend.”
On uniting the team to challenge the Western Conference:
“The West is no joke. You look at the West and there’s 15 teams (and) they all expect to make the Playoffs. That won’t happen… obviously seven won’t, but they all think they will and they’re going to try for it. It’s an unbelievable depth to the Western Conference, so it’s going to be a challenge. That’s why we’re looking forward to whenever camp starts to get back at it. We haven’t played as a group in a year — longer than a year — with Klay and Steph and Draymond and Wiggins and whoever we draft. We’re going to need that training camp.”
On the evolution of game and how it applies to what he looks for in prospects:
“A big man almost can’t stand around the rim anymore, that’s hard to do. If we get a big man that can protect the rim and guard on the perimeter and switch, that’s obviously highly valuable. There’s not too many guys that can do that. Perimeter defense has never mattered more because so much of the offense is coming from the perimeter instead of passing it to the post… I’d say that the biggest thing that has changed isn’t 'small ball' and things like that, it’s your ability to have size and skill… Positional size, athleticism, skill, all of it is what you hope for.”