The Warriors possess the No. 11 pick in this month’s NBA draft.
Who they pick with their highest selection since 2021 could hold the cards to not only the final years of Steph Curry’s career but also the future direction of the franchise.
This week, we are profiling five possible prospects GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. could target.
Age: 20
Position: Guard
Height/weight: 6-foot-4 / 215 pounds
School: Arizona
Without Jimmy Butler or Moses Moody to begin the season, the Warriors need playmakers and point-of-attack defenders who can step in and contribute right away.
Enter Burries, who starred on both sides of the ball as a freshman — the oldest in the class, for what it’s worth — while leading Arizona to the Final Four. The sturdily built combo guard was the Wildcats’ leading scorer at 16.1 points per game and took on their top on-ball matchups.
Steve Kerr and a contingent of Warriors brass traveled to San Jose to watch Arizona in the Sweet 16. Golden State has dipped into Kerr’s alma mater in the draft just once before — second-round guard Nico Mannion in 2019 — so maybe the second time’s the charm.
After one of their NCAA Tournament wins, Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd gave a description of Burries that would be fitting for another unassuming guard around these parts.
“He’s a laid-back, kind-of-unassuming guy, but he has a killer in him,” Lloyd said. “And that’s a beautiful attribute. There’s nothing wrong with being a great human being off the court and being a killer on the court. And he definitely has that combination.”
Burries won’t look out of place on an NBA court, already weighing more than plenty of his future peers. That said, at 6-4 with only a plus-two wingspan, he will be at a slight disadvantage against most other shooting guards and lacks the speed of a smaller guard.
However, he makes up for it with instincts and athleticism.
His 38.5-inch max vertical leap ranked 18th among all prospects at the combine, and he jumped higher in the standing leap than all but three other guards.
Burries’ underwhelming 2.4 assists per game and inconsistent ball handling have also led evaluators to question whether he can be a primary creator in the NBA.
Burries’ relentless motor and ability to defend the perimeter should make him instantly playable for any NBA coach, even Kerr. Offensively, Burries showed that he can score at all three levels, with efficient 49/39/81 shooting splits as a freshman.
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