Golden State Warriors lottery picks considered a disappointment based on recent redraft - Sport News

Golden State Warriors lottery picks considered a disappointment based on recent redraft

After missing out on the playoffs thanks to back-to-back Play-In Tournament losses, the Golden State Warriors headed to the 2021 NBA Draft armed with two lottery picks — their own 14th selection, as well as the seventh overall pick acquired following a smart trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves a year earlier.

The Warriors were in a difficult situation given they still held championship aspirations heading into the following season. Despite a plethora of trade speculation, Golden State kept the picks and ultimately drafted Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.

While the Warriors would go on to win another NBA championship in Kuminga and Moody’s rookie year, the pair had little impact come playoff time. Since that point, each have shown strong development mixed with frustrating inconsistency.

Much of that inconsistency can be attributed to instability in role and playing time, something that continues to plague both Kuminga and Moody in their third year. It’s left fans wondering where the duo could be at had Steve Kerr provided more trust earlier on, or had they been drafted to a different franchise altogether.

In a recent redraft of the 2021 class, Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey has Moody going outside the lottery despite the 21-year-old having been an impactful piece at many points so far this season.

“”Moses Moody is developing into a classic “does all the little stuff” guy, but he just needs to do everything a bit more (or in the case of his shooting, a bit more efficiently) to move into the lottery,” Bailey wrote.”

Bailey has Kuminga going 12th, five spots down from his original draft position. Granted it’s a strong class, but there’s a number of players above whom Kuminga would be disappointed to be below. That includes Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson and Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs who are the two picks immediately ahead of the 21-year-old.

“”Jonathan Kuminga’s career has yet to take off the way some may have expected. He was a top-five high school recruit, per 247Sports, and top-10 pick in the NBA draft. And even in the NBA, his combination of size and athleticism is uncommon,” Bailey wrote. “Ideally, he’d be able to affect the game a bit more as a rebounder, defender and passer, but there’s plenty of time for Kuminga to develop.””

Kuminga is currently enjoying the best stretch of his career, having taken on a starting role since the indefinite suspension of Draymond Green. The 6’7″ forward has 11 games in a row with 10+ points, and has averaged 13.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists since becoming a starter.

Golden State may not have got an appropriate return on their pair of 2021 lottery picks, but that’s more on the franchise and the coaching staff rather than the players they selected. Kuminga and Moody are still likely to have long NBA careers, which in itself is a win from mid lottery selections.

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