Yes, it’s been only one week since the Warriors won the championship to wrap up the 2016-17 NBA season. But the 2017-18 campaign will unofficially kick off in just three days when the NBA Draft takes place. The preparation for the draft is a quick turnaround for Golden State, which doesn’t currently own a pick but is reportedly eager to buy one in the second round as it did last year to select Patrick McCaw.
To that end, the Warriors will reportedly bring in several prospects on Tuesday for a workout. Take a look at the full list below from SI’s Jeremy Woo. The list of players ranges in height from the 6-foot-3 Bronson Koenig to the 6-foot-11 Chance Comanche, so it doesn’t appear as though the Dubs have a set position they’re targeting if they do acquire a pick. But with much of the back end of next year’s roster up in the air for Golden State, each player reportedly scheduled to work out tomorrow could make themselves a fit for the Warriors.
Source: Warriors will bring in Canyon Barry, Sterling Brown, Chance Comanche, Bronson Koenig, Ben Moore and Tai Webster for Tuesday workout.
— Jeremy Woo (@JeremyWoo) June 19, 2017
Guards Canyon Barry and Bronson Koenig may be the two most recognizable names here. Barry, a former Florida Gator who played his first three seasons at College of Charleston, is the youngest son of Warrior legend Rick Barry. Canyon shoots free throws underhanded like his father did in his playing days, and scored a career-high 19.7 points per game as a junior with Charleston two years ago. The 6-foot-6 guard scored 11.4 points per game in his lone season with Florida last year.
Koenig was a four-year player for Wisconsin and made it to the Final Four twice. He shot 39 percent or higher from deep in each of his last three seasons, and scored 14.5 points per game as a senior last season. Koenig has dealt with some minor injury problems since the college season ended, however.
A pair of former SMU teammates are also on the list of reported Warriors work out invitees. Forward Ben Moore, listed at 6-foot-8, averaged roughly 11 points and seven rebounds per game in his junior and senior seasons while shooting higher than 50 percent both years. Guard Sterling Brown shot a sky-high 45 percent from 3-point range in his four years with SMU, and averaged to go along with 6.5 rebounds per game as a senior. Brown is a versatile 6-foot-6 wing who fits the McCaw mold quite well.
Tai Webster from Nebraska has gotten some buzz as a second round pick in the lead up to the draft, as the 6-foot-4 guard had a breakout senior season. He scored 17 points to go along with 5.1 rebounds and 4 assists for the Cornhuskers. Webster also averaged 1.4 steals per game as both a junior and a senior.
Lastly, Arizona’s Chance Comanche is the most mysterious prospect on this list, as the center played sparingly in just two seasons with the Wildcats and scored 6.3 points per game as a sophomore this past year. He seemingly declared for the draft because the situation wasn’t favorable for him at Arizona in terms of playing time moving forward, and is looked at by most teams as a project.
Of this list of players, only Brown was projected to be drafted in DraftExpress’s latest mock draft, so the Warriors could very well be taking a look at some guys as undrafted free agent targets. But if they do acquire a pick late in Thursday’s draft, one of these names could be called.
