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2020 NBA Draft: Top 1st round options for Golden State Warriors

By Michael Walton

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 22: Onyeka Okongwu #21 of the USC Trojans gets past Quinton Rose #1 of the Temple Owls for a dunk in the second half at Galen Center on November 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 22: Onyeka Okongwu #21 of the USC Trojans gets past Quinton Rose #1 of the Temple Owls for a dunk in the second half at Galen Center on November 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /
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NBA Draft
TEMPE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 14: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Georgia Bulldogs handles the ball.(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

NBA Draft option for Golden State Warriors – Anthony Edwards, SG/SF, Georgia

Anthony Edwards may not appear to be a clean-cut fit with the Warriors because of the presence of Curry and Thompson but with the lackluster supporting cast around the veterans, Edwards could actually provide a much-needed scoring punch. In the 2019-20 season, the Dubs easily had the worst offensive rating in the league at 104.4. But at 6-foot-5, 225 lbs., with a reported 42-inch vertical leap and an impressive array of moves to get off a shot, the 18-year old Edwards would be an instant injection of energy into the Golden State offense.

https://twitter.com/hoopfiends/status/1270841481151078409

The Warriors were dead last in the 2019-20 season in effective field goal percentage (eFG %) and while Edwards was far from efficient at Georgia he still boasted an impressive 32.1 points per 100 possessions for a Bulldogs squad that was 64th (out of 353 programs) in the nation in tempo and possessed a top-100 offense. Golden State was 13th in the NBA in pace (tempo) after finishing in the top 10 in 2019. Simply put, the Dubs and Edwards would love to play fast if they can.

Edwards would be bound for success in a fast-paced offense playing next to two of the best playmakers in the game in Curry and Green. Edwards had a massive usage rate at Georgia (30.8) and is one of the players in the draft who will deal with a  huge step down in role depending on where he is drafted.

With the Warriors, Edwards would be able to focus primarily on cutting to the rim, running the lane on the fastbreak, and hitting catch-and-shoot 3-pointers at a decent clip. With Georgia, Edwards constantly showcased the ability to get buckets when the entire defense was focused on him, so imagining him thriving in a role next to two of the greatest shooters of all-time isn’t extremely difficult.

Edwards shot 69.4% at the rim in his lone year at Georgia but only 26.5% of his field-goal attempts came at the rim. Playing in Steve Kerr’s system next to Curry, Thompson, and Green, Edwards would be able to take full advantage of his frame and bully smaller two-guards near the basket with feeds from Curry and Green. Edwards is not much more than a secondary option in terms of being a playmaker and he struggles with decision-making in terms of when to try to fit a pass into a tight window but the intention to do something spectacular and helpful is usually there.

https://twitter.com/overtime/status/1082002012374470657

With Golden State’s coaching and infrastructure, Edwards would turn from an inefficient big-time scorer to a well-rounded two-way player capable of taking over when the moment calls for it.

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