Steve Kerr has spent much of his coaching career with the Golden State Warriors making NBA Finals and winning titles. What he hasn’t had to do much of in recent years was scouting upcoming NBA Draft prospects, both due to lack of time and the Warriors rarely finding themselves near the top half of the draft, let alone the top spot.
But an odd set of circumstances has led to Kerr having a chance to watch some of those top draft picks. With injuries to Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and the departures of Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, the Warriors went from arguably the best team in the league to the worst team in the league in one summer.
And now, with the league suspended indefinitely, Kerr has taken the time to scout some of the draft prospects the Warriors are targeting in the 2020 NBA Draft.
“I’m watching tape on some of our draft prospects. And, you know, something I haven’t been able to do much of over the years, and I hadn’t done any of it this year. So I’m trying to use that time to get a feel for the guys who are on our list for the draft coming up.”
The Warriors and LaMelo Ball, specifically, have been linked multiple times this season. Prior to Ball’s season ending prematurely, Warriors general manager Bob Myers had planned a trip to Australia to scout both Ball and RJ Hampton. But reports have also surfaced that the Warriors may not be interested in the top draft prospects.
As it stands, the Warriors hold the top spot in the draft lottery and by four full games. The latest DraftExpress mock draft has Ball going fourth to the Knicks with the Warriors drafting Anthony Edwards.
It figures to be an interesting pre-draft period, whenever that time ends up taking place.