Forwards
Deni Avdija
Avdija has been all over mock drafts, ranging from the first couple picks to the late lottery. His playmaking traits are obvious, and with a 6-foot-9 height and wingspan, Avdija would be able to play guard or forward for the Warriors, which would allow him to play with either unit.
If Curry comes out and the Warriors don’t have a dependable point guard, Avdija could do that. If they want to run Curry and Thompson off the ball, Avdija could take the lead. If they want to play all three at the same time, the defense wouldn’t suffer the way it would if they did that with one of the guards in this draft.
But Avdija needs to improve as a shooter. He shoots around 35% from 3, and according to O’Connor, he has shot just 56% on free throws since 2017, which is not a good sign.
Obi Toppin
Toppin was the best men’s college basketball player last season, winning the National Player of the Year award after averaging 20 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for the 29-2 Dayton Flyers.
He could create shots himself by dribbling and driving, was a nasty dunked and even expanded his range by shooting 39% from 3 on 2.6 attempts per game. If that relatively small sample size can be consistent at the NBA level, he would be a major threat for the Warriors.
Toppin could play with either unit, someone opening up room for the starters or leading scoring alongside Eric Paschall in the frontcourt off the bench. If the Warriors want a player who is already developed, Toppin might be the favorite. However — if they don’t want a center, they may not want a power forward/center, either.
Devin Vassell
There will probably be too many players with higher upside than Vassell when Golden State steps up to draft, but he’s worth mentioning as a wild card if Golden State gets No. 5 in the lottery.
Vassell is an ideal 3-and-D player who should be able to slot into the Warriors rotation immediately and give playoff minutes sooner rather than later.
He shot 41.5% from 3 as a sophomore and had 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. All this looks translatable to the NBA. Vassell seems to have a higher floor than most of the elite prospects, though his ceiling isn’t as high.
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