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.
Following Rick Barry’s departure to the Houston Rockets in the 1978 offseason, the Golden State Warriors had the opportunity to add help in the first round of the NBA Draft. While it’s never easy to replace a future Hall of Famer, Al Attles was able to land a prospect that made a steady impact during his time in the Bay Area.
June 9, 1978
At the Plaza Hotel in New York, the Portland Trail Blazers opened the 1978 NBA Draft by selecting Mychal Thompson (Klay Thompson’s father) out of Minnesota with the first overall selection.
Fast forward four picks and the Warriors were on the clock at No. 5. With Indiana State’s Larry Bird still on the board, the Warriors opted to draft Jackson State’s Purvis Short with the final pick in the top five.
During his final season at Jackson State, the two-time SWAC Player of the Year tallied 29.5 points on 53.3% shooting from the field in 22 games.
The 6-foot-7 forward quickly transitioned to the next level, registering 10.6 points on 47.9% shooting from the field with 4.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest. Over his next five seasons, Short’s numbers continued to rise.
In Golden State’s 1984-85 campaign, Short recorded a career-high 28.0 points per game on 46.0% shooting from the field with 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per contest. Along with his career-high averages, Shorted scored a new career-high in single-game scoring.
On November 17, 1984 against the New Jersey Nets, Short scored 59 points on 20-of-28 shooting from the field with five boards and a steal. During Golden State’s 131-114 loss to the Nets, Short splashed four 3-pointers.
Over his nine-year run in the Bay Area, Short marked double-figures in scoring in each season. From 1982 to 1986, Short recorded over 20 or more points per game.
Watch highlights of Purvis in action via YouTube:
Along with Thompson, Bird and Short, other notable members of the 1978 draft class included Michael Ray Richardson, Reggie Theus, Mike Mitchell and Maurice Cheeks.
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