The Golden State Warriors selected Arizona’s Nico Mannion with the 48th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Mannion is a talented point guard who made an impact as a freshman last season, averaging 14 points per game.
The news of Klay Thompson's injury put a damper on what was supposed to be a celebratory night for the Warriors.
Golden State landed future franchise center James Wiseman at No. 2 overall, and might have gotten the steal of the draft when talented guard Nico Mannion fell to them in the second round at No. 48 overall. Mannion falling to the Warriors reportedly had a number of NBA executives stunned, ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported Thursday.
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Mannion, who attended Steph Curry's basketball camp in high school, is landing in the ideal situation. The Arizona product is talented guard who can shoot it and create for others. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Mannion is the perfect blend of shooting and playmaking the Warriors are looking for off the bench.
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Mannion was a top recruit coming out of high school, but went from potential lottery pick to second-round steal after one disappointing season in Tucson. He has spent the past few months adding size to his frame and working on being a more consistent shooter.
While going at No. 48 wasn't the goal, Mannion knows he landed in an ideal situation as he gets to start his career by learning from Curry and playing in Steve Kerr's ball-movement offense.
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"That's just another situation that I see that's surreal," Mannion said of playing with Curry. "When I found out, that was kind of the first thing I thought of: I get to learn from Steph. He's been in the league for a while, like you said, multi-time MVP. I actually got to meet him already. I played at Steph's camp, so I got to meet him there and kind of get to know him a little bit. But I'm excited, man. I think the biggest thing for me is I get someone I can really learn from. He's a vet and one of the best players to ever play. I'm just going to be like a sponge, trying to soak up as much information as I can."
After having Wiseman fall to them at No. 2, the Warriors got another stroke of luck in the second round, netting Mannion, who has all the tools to be a productive rookie in Golden State.
