What Could Have Been? Did The Warriors Make A Draft Mistake?
The Golden State Warriors are playing in their sixth Western Conference Finals in the last eight seasons, so it's fair to say they don't make many mistakes.
However, one could ask the question if they would have been even better this season if they did something different during the 2021 NBA Draft.
Chris Duarte, who was drafted with the 13th overall pick by the Indiana Pacers, just got announced as making the NBA All-Rookie 2nd Team.
The Warriors had the seventh overall pick (Jonathan Kuminga) and the 14th overall pick (Moses Moody).
Both players likely have a bright future in the NBA, but what if the Warriors had used the 14th pick and another asset to trade up to 13th pick, or used the seventh pick to trade back and get Duarte?
No one will ever know the answer, but Duarte finished his rookie season averaging 13.1 points per game on 37% from the three-point range.
He was also doing so on a bad team, so he did not get the kind of open looks he would get on a team like the Warriors.
His game would have fit in very well in the system that the Warriors have, and he would have been left open a lot (due to the fact that teams have to guard Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole).
At the end of the day, the Warriors might end up winning the NBA Title this year, but there is always the chance they could have been even better.
