Golden State Warriors: 2016 Offseason Grades

The Draft

When your team’s average win total over the last two seasons is 70 games, there’s a good chance you’ll be at the back of the pack come NBA Draft time. With the 30th overall selection in the last two drafts, the Warriors haven’t exactly had prime opportunities to bring elite new talent to the roster.

Yet somehow, the Dubs have managed to continue an ongoing trend under general manager Bob Myers (and former GM Larry Riley near the tail end of his career) of making every pick count — no matter where it lands.

Just like last year’s draft, Golden State watched as a talented, high-upside player fell right into their laps at No. 30, and just like in 2012 when they took Festus Ezeli, that player at No. 30 was a filled out center from Vanderbilt.

One of the more popular choices for the Warriors among mock drafts, Damian Jones is a 7’0″, 245-pound center who averaged 13.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in his junior season at Vandy.

At 20 years old, Jones is already an elite athlete with superb jumping ability, a 7’4″ wingspan and the requisite size to play in this league for a long time — especially on a smart passing team like the Warriors that will enjoy the alley-oop threat he poses when rolling to the rim.

He’s not a polished scorer on the block, but that’s okay for a team that doesn’t exactly specialize in post-up sets anyway. Jones has the foundation of a decent jump shot, which is more than Andrew Bogut or Ezeli could ever claim.

Speaking of which, Jones was a smart pick simply for the fact that Bogut and Ezeli’s standing with the team was in jeopardy due to the pursuit of Kevin Durant. With both of them gone, the selection looks even better now.

The big issue with Jones in college was his consistency, as some games he’d play like a world-beater before disappearing again for 2-3 games at a time. He’s also currently injured and not expected to return until the upcoming season begins.

Long story short though: Damian Jones provides long-term insurance in the frontcourt, has all the physical tools to be dominant playing on a title contender for years to come and represents superb value for the last pick in the first round.

With their second round selection at No. 38, which the Warriors acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks for $2.4 million, the Dubs added to the length and versatility of their auxiliary players by taking Patrick McCaw.

A two-year wing out of UNLV, McCaw could very well represent the Dubs’ long-term successor to Shaun Livingston.

At 20 years old, McCaw averaged 14.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.5 steals per game during his sophomore season for the Runnin’ Rebels. Unlike Livingston, however, McCaw also boasts the makings of a great shooter, posting .465/.366/.774 shooting splits last year.

According to The Vertical, the Warriors have already signed McCaw to a two-year, fully guaranteed deal, showing their faith in his abilities and compensating for the bench depth that had to be shed in the pursuit of Kevin Durant.

Like Livingston, McCaw’s size at 6’7″ gives him a size advantage over smaller players at his position, while his skills as a point forward, a decent perimeter shooter and a player who can defend multiple positions makes him an ideal fit for a team that prizes two-way versatility.

McCaw needs to get stronger, but having a wiry ball hawk like him learning from an accomplished veteran like Shaun Livingston is only going to help his development.

For the 30th and 38th picks in the draft, Jones and McCaw represent excellent value for a Warriors team looking to replace some of its depth with long-term prospects on cheap rookie deals.

Grade: A-

Next: The Best Acquisition Of The Summer