Warriors Outsiders Drew Shiller and Grant Liffmann explain why Steve Kerr will be a key factor in the Warriors’ success this season after they lost Klay Thompson to injury and added Kelly Oubre and James Wiseman.
If there was ever a season for Warriors fans to buy NBA League Pass, it would be the upcoming 2020-21 season. Why? All eyes should be on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Warriors need the T-Wolves to be one of the worst teams in the league, but not absolutely terrible at the same time. If Minnesota's 2021 NBA Draft pick falls outside of the top three, it goes to Golden State as part of the Warriors' Andrew Wiggins-D'Angelo Russell trade. But the T-Wolves keep the pick if it is one of the top three in next year's draft.
Good news, Warriors fans. In ESPN's first 2021 NBA mock draft, the pick falls to No. 6 and right in the lap of Warriors general manager Bob Myers. ESPN's Jonathan Givony gives Golden State Duke freshman forward Jalen Johnson with the No. 6 pick, one year after adding center James Wiseman with the No. 2 pick in this year's draft.
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Johnson, 18, is a 6-foot-8 five-star small forward/power forward. He was ranked as ESPN's No. 13 recruit in the Class of 2020. The Wisconsin native was considered the best prospect in the state as a versatile forward. For such a highly-touted recruit, he's seen as an unselfish player who could be a triple-double threat down the road.
Warriors fans no doubt would love seeing an athlete like this flying high at Chase Center.
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There's even better news for Warriors fans in ESPN's first mock draft, too. The Oklahoma City Thunder have the No. 25 pick from the Warriors, as part of the Kelly Oubre trade (the Warriors' pick is top-20 protected). That means ESPN predicts the Warriors will finish as the sixth-best team in the NBA this season despite losing Klay Thompson to a torn Achilles.
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A top pick and a successful season without one of the best players in the league? Yeah, the Warriors will take that.
