One Draft Prospect Who Should Suddenly Be on Warriors Board After Lottery Climb

Entering NBA combine measurement day, it was already clear that the Golden State Warriors would have multiple very good options with the No. 11 pick of the 2026 NBA draft.

Those players included Labaron Philon Jr., Brayden Burries, Yaxel Lendeborg, Karim Lopez and Aday Mara. At least three of them should be available when the Dubs pick.

But we have to add one more name for consideration after his outrageous measurables were revealed Monday.

Let's go over why Baylor's Cameron Carr is climbing toward the top 10 of the lottery.

Carr's Shocking Wingspan

Carr was already expected to be in consideration for a late-lottery selection, but now he's rising after measuring at 6'4.5" with a 7'0.75" wingspan.

It's common for prospects to have a wingspan that's 3-4 inches longer than their height. An 8.25-inch difference is rare.

Arm length can be beneficial to a player on both ends of the floor, but it's usually most associated with elite on-ball defenders who force a lot of steals.

Interestingly, Carr had just 0.9 steals per game as junior. In his mock draft from Monday morning, The Athletic's Sam Vecenie addressed his defensive issues.

"It’s very difficult to find players who are in the ballpark of 6'6" with incredibly long arms like Carr’s who can shoot," Vecenie wrote. "His lack of physicality and his high waist show up defensively, as he still doesn’t impact the game unless he’s rotating across for a weak-side contest."

It's disappointing that Carr wasn't more impactful defensively in his one full season in college, but the 21-year-old's combination of length and athleticism suggest high-end defensive potential.

And he's already a solid offensive player.

Carr averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 blocks while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from three.

His shooting looks real, and though he's not a candidate to run a second unit, he has some ball-handling and playmaking chops.

The question is, can he defend bigger wings, and how long will it take him to develop into a player who won't be a weak link on the less glamorous end?

Should Warriors Value a Taller Wing?

If you've been a Warriors fan over the last few years, you're well aware that Steve Kerr has played a lot of three-guard lineups. I'd wager that the average height of the Warriors' rotation players has been one of the lowest in the league.

At 6'4.5", Carr would not improve the team's height issues. If anything, having Carr would force the Warriors to play more three-guard lineups, as Carr would likely play alongside Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski for some of his minutes and alongside LJ Cryer and Will Richard in other rotations.

This is why many Warriors fans want the Dubs to take Yaxel Lendeborg, who is 6'8.75" with a 7'3.25" wingspan.

Lendeborg is 23 and doesn't offer much offensive-creation skills, which is why he's often referred to as a high-floor prospect without the ceiling of some of Golden State's other targets.

Lendeborg had a great season defensively for the national champion Michigan Wolverines, and he projects to guard bigger wings and even some centers.

But I'd argue Carr's height has some advantages.

Lendeborg is too tall to switch onto elite playmaking guards and move with them laterally. Being lower to the ground will give Carr a better chance to do that and eventually develop into a nightmare on-ball defender.

The Warriors might prefer Lendeborg anyway, as my mock draft suggests, but they shouldn't take Carr off their board just because he's not 6'5"-plus. Even though he'll probably be listed as a guard in the NBA, his wingspan will allow him to guard 3s—just as Moses Moody does at 6'5".

Expect the Warriors to give Carr lots of consideration.

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