The NBA often is described as a copycat league in which the champion sets an example for the other 29 teams. With the newest champ, the Boston Celtics, leaning on defense and 3-point shots, the blueprint is set.
Many teams, like the Warriors, already were on the route.
“We’ve got to get better in a lot of areas, but the ones that I think immediately jump off the page is defensively we got to be better,” general manager Mike Dunleavy said at the end of the 2023-24 regular season. “This is an organization, a team, that when we've been really good and won championships, it's been mostly with defense, and then you got some great exciting offensive moments that everybody thinks about ...
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“And then from there, as Steph [Curry] and Draymond [Green] and Klay [Thompson], as those guys kind of age, shooting is important. Shooting's important in this league. It's important to have guys that can shoot around them, so I think addressing that will always be a thing.”
The Warriors can address this need next Wednesday in the 2024 NBA Draft. They don’t have a first-round pick, and they’re sitting at No. 52 in the second round. Can they find a shooter that late?
Yes.
Of the 30 players atop the active list of 3-point shooting percentage, 10 either were second-round picks or not drafted at all. The highest belongs to Seth Curry (43.1, third overall), who went undrafted. The lowest belongs to Monte Morris (39.1, 30th), who went 51st overall in 2017.
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In between are the likes of Sam Hauser (42.5), Duncan Robinson (39.8), Georges Niang (39.2) and Isaiah Joe (39.7) – none of whom were drafted.
The 3-point shooting revolution has resulted in greater emphasis on shooting from puberty through high school and college. There is plenty of shooting in the amateur ranks, thanks to the exploits of Revolutionary One, the Warriors’ own Stephen Curry.
There are at least 30 players worth considering, but here are five that could be available at No. 52:
Jalen Bridges (Baylor)
At 6-foot-7, 220 pounds, with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, the small forward has an NBA-ready physique and a 3-and-D profile. He excels off the ball, which could make him an easy fit in Golden State. He shot 41.2 percent beyond the arc last season with the Bears, showing an elite triple for the first time. Named to the All-Big 12 third team as a senior, he turned 23 last month and should be able to contribute as a rookie. Bridges worked out with the Warriors last month.
Pelle Larsson (Arizona)
Starting all 36 games for the Wildcats, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound wing averaged 12.8 points per game, shooting 51.9 percent from the field, including 42.6 percent from distance. Though he’s a savvy passer, he’s best suited to generating offense when playing off the ball, coming of screens and in catch-and-shoot opportunities. He’s 23, with 136 games of experience at Utah and Arizona. With the Warriors placing value on players who can help immediately, it made sense that they worked him out a couple weeks ago.
SG: Antonio Reeves (Kentucky)
The 6-foot-4, 190-pound shooting guard can fill it up from deep. On a typically talented Wildcats squad, he made 33 starts as a senior, averaging 20.2 points per game, shooting 51.2 percent from the field, including 44.7 percent from deep. Some teams are turned off by his age; he turns 24 in November. The Warriors, with their timeline, don’t mind. They consider his experience, much like that of Trayce Jackson-Davis last summer, a plus. He was in for a workout before Memorial Day.
SG: Cam Spencer (UConn)
Another “oldie.” Already 24, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound combo guard attended three different colleges, the last being UConn, where he moved into the starting role vacated when Jordan Hawkins left for the NBA last summer. The Huskies rolled to another title, with Spencer starting all 40 games, averaging 14.3 points per (second on the team) and shooting 48.4 percent from the field, including 44.0 beyond the arc. Also led the team in steals. He has not yet been in for a workout with Golden State.
SG: Jaylen Wells (Washington State)
At 20 years old (he turns 21 in August), with only one season of Division I hoops – following two seasons at Division II Sonoma State – the 6-foot-7, 205-pound wing considered staying put but ultimately chose to remain in the draft. He averaged 12.6 points per game, with 41.7-percent shooting from deep, a product of steady off-ball movement, excellent shooting mechanics and a quick release. Those attributes were enough for the Warriors to invite him for a closer look last week.
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