How the Golden State Warriors Have Crushed Second-Round Drafting

Talented second-round players always seem to end up in the bay area.

Apr 15, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors center Quinten Post (21) reacts after making a three point basket against the Memphis Grizzlies in the second quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Following a 2022 NBA Finals victory, the Golden State Warriors have swapped out the championship-core of veterans for a new crop of young talent. In the three drafts following, Golden State used second-round picks to add rotational players, hitting on the later picks with a higher rate than most other organizations.

Three of those second-round picks contributed rotational minutes in the Warriors' first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, proving their value. Hitting on late draft picks is crucial for contending teams, as it helps to round out back-end roster talent with solid players on cheap contracts, allowing teams to pay their top dogs –– Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler for Golden State.

Let's take a look back on recent second-round hits for the Bay Area.

Quinten Post

The Warriors selected Post with the No. 52 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft following the departure of Dario Saric. Post played five seasons in college, spending his last three at Boston College. In his senior season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Post averaged 17 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 43.1 percent from 3-point range, emerging as one of the nation's top shooting bigs.

He'd do the same thing when arriving to Golden State, averaging 8.1 points while shooting 40.8 percent from beyond-the-arc, ranking third among all rookies to attempt at least 50 3-pointers. Post played a valuable role as a floor-spacer next to Curry, Butler and Green, and will likely do so for the remainder of his tenure with the Warriors.

Trayce Jackson-Davis

Golden State picked Jackson-Davis with the No. 57 pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, adding the athletic rim-runner out of Indiana to their frontcourt rotation. He's blossomed into a quality center for the Warriors, 53 games in his first two seasons with the team, operating as a fun option in the pick-and-roll and transition outlet.

Apr 8, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (32) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Across his two seasons, he averaged 7.3 points, 5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 64.2 percent from the field. He ranks eighth in rebounds per game among 2023-2024 rookies to play at least 50 games since the start of that season, proving value as a rim-runner in the late round.

Jackson-Davis has played a larger role with the Warriors than any other No. 57 pick in the last 25 drafts, proving to be another hidden gem found by Golden State.

Gui Santos

The Warriors took forward Gui Santos with the No. 55 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. In the ensuing seasons, Santos would split time between the Warriors main roster, and the G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors.

Apr 26, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos (15) before game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

He appeared in 56 games in the 2024-2025 season, averaging 4.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 33 percent from deep and operating as a switchable defender on the wing. The 23-year-old still has potential to improve in a larger role as the Warriors shuffle the depth chart with new acquisitions, but he's still already passed his value at the No. 55 pick.