As 22 teams prepare for the restart of the NBA season in the Orlando bubble, the Golden State Warriors’ calendar is open. With their run officially over due to their league-worst 15-50 record, Steve Kerr and Bob Myers can use their time to study for October’s NBA Draft.
As the Golden State Warriors prepare to make a selection in the top-five for the first time since 2002, prospects from across the 2020 draft class are beginning to set up meetings with the Warriors.
According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the Warriors have met with top prospects LaMelo Ball and James Wiseman in the draft process. Next up, french prospect Killian Hayes.
[lawrence-related id=25658]
Hayes’ agent Yann Balizoukou recently joined the french basketball podcast Evergure. During his appearance, Balizoukou mentioned his client would be interviewing with the Golden State Warriors.
Via Evergure (H/T NBC Sports Bay Area):
He hasn’t done Minnesota’s interview but he will. Same thing for Golden State. He won’t do Cleveland, for sure. It’s no secret they are not interested in a guard, so I spoke with them and the chances they draft a guard are really slim. Killian should interview with Minnesota and Golden State, though.
Listen to the full interview with Balikouzou on YouTube:
In 10 games for ratiopharm Ulm in Germany, the 18-year-old guard averaged 12.8 points, 6.2 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. On 4.1 attempts from beyond the arc per contest, Hayes shot 39% from deep in the EuroCup.
Hayes’ long list of intriguing traits earned him the No. 5 ranking in the Warriors Wire July Big Board. The young point guard came in behind only Georgia’s Anthony Edwards, Ball, Wiseman, and USC big man Onyeka Okongwu.
Via the Warriors Wire Big Board:
Hayes has a killer step-back, is an inventive passer who has great timing and can maneuver his body in subtle ways to get better passer lanes to his target. While comparisons to D’Angelo Russell remind Warriors fans that Golden State did not think Russell’s playstyle fit on the team, a rookie on an inexpensive contract won’t demand the ball like an All-Star rightfully can. If there’s a similarity in skill set, that should be welcome.
Warriors Wire Big Board: A look at the 2020 NBA Draft prospectshttps://t.co/BCvhNNllvB
— Warriors Wire (@TheWarriorsWire) July 4, 2020
As draft season begins to heat up, a flurry of top prospects will begin to make their way through the Bay Area before the Golden State Warriors are officially on the clock in October.
[lawrence-related id=20949,26471,25400,26576,25658]