10 Prospects Warriors Fans Should Be Watching in March Madness

At 33-36, the Golden State Warriors' 2026 first-round pick will be valuable no matter how the season finishes.

But it would be more valuable if they don't make the playoffs.

There are three scenarios for their pick:

- Make the playoffs and almost assuredly pick exactly 15th
- Miss the playoffs, don't move up in the lottery and likely pick 11th or 12th
- Miss the playoffs, move up in the lottery and pick between 1st and 4th

The third scenario is far and away the least likely, as the Warriors will have an under 10 percent chance of landing a top-four pick.

Nonetheless, Warriors fans can scout two prospects they could land if they move into the top four.

Otherwise, there are eight prospects they should have their eyes on who could be on the board from picks 11-15.

Here is an overview of the 10 prospects the Warriors fans should be watching in March Madness.

Only Possible By Moving into Top Four

Darryn Peterson, Kansas
First game: Friday, 9:45 p.m. ET vs. Cal Baptist

Peterson has showed off his effortless scoring ability all season, as he enters the tournament averaging 19.8 points per game on 44.2 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from three.

The 6'6" guard has the makings of the next dominant scoring wing in the NBA.

If the Warriors want a wing over center Cameron Boozer, they'll have to choose between Peterson and BYU's AJ Dybantsa.

Dybantsa is bigger (6'9"), and both have three-level scoring ability. It's matter of preference, and how Peterson fares in the tournament could sway the Warriors' thinking.

Cameron Boozer, Duke

First game: 22 points and 13 rebounds in win over Siena
Next game: Saturday vs. TCU

Boozer struggled vs. Siena, finishing just 4-of-11 from the field and turning the ball over five times. He'll look to play much better against TCU.

Still, Boozer is expected to be a top-three pick. The 6'9", 250-pound big has the best Box Plus/Minus in the nation. With his feel for the game and all-around ability, I suspect Steve Kerr would love to have him.

Boozer's game reminds me of Alperen Sengun's. The Warriors have needed that kind of big for years.

Note: AJ Dybantsa's BYU team was eliminated on Thursday by Texas, but Dybantsa dominated with 35 points and 10 rebounds. Caleb Wilson's UNC team was eliminated as well, and Wilson didn't play with a thumb injury. Dybantsa and Wilson are expected to be top-four picks.

Not Likely to Fall to Warriors at 11th

Keaton Wagler, Illinois; Darius Acuff, Arkansas; Kingston Flemings, Houston; Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville

All four of these freshman guards dominated in wins on Thursday and will play again Saturday. There's a decent chance they will be picked fifth through eighth in some order.

How some of them fit with Stephen Curry is debatable, but on talent alone, the Warriors should take any of them if they fall to their pick.

Warriors' Targets from 11th to 15th

Nate Ament, Tennessee
First game: Friday, 4:25 p.m. ET vs. Miami (OH)

Ament has a lot to gain the NCAA tournament. He's coming off a 1-of-13 performance against Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament, and he's shot under 50 percent in five straight games.

The 6'10" freshman wing feels like a "two-timelines" prospect for Golden State. He probably won't be ready to heavily contribute during the 2026-27 season, but his potential warrants a lottery pick.

Brayden Burries, Arizona
First game: Friday, 1:35 p.m. ET vs. Long Island

Burries isn't a lead guard, as he's averaging just 2.5 assists per game. And at 6'4", he's not tall enough to guard some bigger wings.

That normally isn't a recipe for a player in the lottery, but Burries is getting lots of buzz for being a three-level, efficient scorer who defends and rebounds. Basically, he's an excellent 2-guard prospect, and even though that's not a need for the Warriors right now, they could be thinking best player available for their long-term future with this pick.

Labaron Philon, Alabama
First game: Friday, 3:15 p.m. ET vs. Hofstra

Philon comes into the NCAA tournament on a heater, averaging 24.5 points on 54.8 percent shooting and 50 percent from three over his last four games.

The 6'4" sophomore guard projects as a score-first combo guard, which is probably not a Kerr archetype. But the talent might be too immense to pass on.

Thomas Haugh, Florida
First game: 9: 25 ET vs. Prairie View A&M

Haugh was Florida's best bench player during last year's national title run, and this season he's improved his scoring output (17.1 PPG) as a starter, but the rest of his stats actually haven't gone up much.

The 6'9" junior forward could up his profile with a big performance in the Elite Eight against Houston's talented frontcourt if both teams make it there.

Haugh and the next player listed are older prospects who could help the Warriors next season, but they both seem like high-floor, low-ceiling types.

Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
First game: 9 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists in win over Howard
Next game: Saturday vs. Saint Louis

Lendeborg is second in the nation in Box Plus/Minus, but he's unlikely to go in the top 10 because he's 23 years old.

The 6'9" forward can do a little bit of everything. He entered Thursday averaging 14.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals.

Perhaps this goes without saying, but what would help his cause is a dominant performance against an NBA-caliber forward in the later rounds of the tournament. For example, if No. 1 seeds Arizona and Michigan make the Final Four, he would improve his profile by outplaying Koa Peat.

Koa Peat, Arizona
First game: Friday, 1:35 p.m. ET vs. Long Island

Speak of the devil, Peat is a 6'8" freshman forward with less three-point-shooting, passing and defensive ability than Lendeborg at the moment.

The key part of that sentence is "at the moment."

By the time Peat is 23, he could be a much better player than Lendeborg and Haugh. He dominates inside the arc with power and finesse, making 55.1 percent of his twos.

The Warriors would have to be confident his shooting would improve in the NBA. Otherwise, they'd likely pass on a player who would have trouble fitting in with Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green due to his lack of shooting and inability to defend the rim.

Chris Cenac Jr., Houston
First game: 7 points, 18 rebounds vs. Idaho
Next game: Saturday vs. Texas A&M

At 6'11", Cenac has the length to play center, and his shooting stroke looks good, as he's made 30 of his 86 three-point attempts (34.9 percent).

Not many freshman bigs can shoot and rebound like him.

The issue is he's averaging 0.5 blocks per game and shooting just a hair under 50 percent from the field.

Typically, NBA-level centers block lots of shots and score more in the paint in college.

Cenac could rise up draft boards by showing more feel in the paint and defending more shots at the rim.

Braylon Mullins, UConn
First game: Friday, 10 p.m. ET vs. Furman

We finish off with Mullins, a freshman guard with positional size (6'6") and a sweet shooting stroke.

Like Ament, he has a lot to gain from a great tournament run. He enters the tourney having made just 17.6 percent of this threes in the last five games, which has dropped his three-point percentage to 34.5 percent.

With that said, Mullins is shooting 58.8 percent on twos. He's a crafty finisher, and once the three-point shot gets to where most expect it to, watch out.