Before the Golden State Warriors are on the clock with the No. 2 overall selection next month, Warriors Wire is rewinding through Golden State’s draft history to highlight some of the most memorable picks — trades, surprises, busts, sleepers and everything in between.
With two picks in the first round of the 2012 NBA draft, general manager Bob Myers eyed a pair of players the Golden State Warriors could build around their young backcourt tandem of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Following North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes landing in the Bay Area with the No. 7 overall pick in the draft, Myers and Mark Jackson targeted a prospect that can slide alongside veteran center Andrew Bogut in Golden State’s frontcourt.
June 28, 2012
To open the 2012 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Hornets and Charlotte Bobcats selected back-to-back Kentucky Wildcats with the first two picks. Anthony Davis went No. 1 to New Orleans with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist going to Charlotte at No. 2.
After selecting Barnes with their top pick in the 2012 edition of the draft, the Warriors were back on the clock with the No. 30 overall pick courtesy of the San Antonio Spurs.
With the final pick of the first round, the Warriors selected Vanderbilt’s Festus Ezeli.
In his final two seasons in Kevin Stalling’s Vanderbilt program, the 6-foot-11 center averaged double-figures in scoring. As a senior, Ezeli averaged 10.1 points per game on 53.9% shooting from the field with 5.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. Along with the Commodores center, Jefferey Taylor and John Jenkins joined a group of three players to be selected in the 2012 draft from Vanderbilt.
Along with an SEC tournament championship in 2012, the trio featuring Ezeli, Taylor and Jenkins led the Commodores to three appearances in the NCAA tournament.
Once he was drafted by Golden State, Ezeli’s rookie training wheels came off rather quickly. While Bogut dealt with injuries, the first-year center was thrust into the starting lineup. During his rookie season, Ezeli started a career-high 41 games while averaging 4.0 boards, 2.4 points, and 0.9 blocks per contest.
In his sophomore year in the NBA, Ezeli sealed his spot as a member of the Golden State Warriors 2015 championship team. During Golden State’s postseason run to the Finals, Ezeli averaged 3.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per contest.
Watch highlights from Ezeli’s 2015 season in Golden State via YouTube:
Following three seasons in Golden State, Ezeli signed with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2016. However, injuries hampered Ezeli’s career in the Pacific Northwest. After missing the entire season with a knee injury, Ezeli was waived by the Trail Blazers in 2017.
Other notable members of the 2012 draft class include Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard, Andre Drummond, John Henson, Evan Fournier, Draymond Green and Khris Middleton.
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