2012 NBA Redraft: How wrong we were in real time

#6 Pick: Draymond Green (Originally: Damian Lillard)

This pick was actually tough but fit over talent makes the most sense to me here. With all the top guards off the board, the options are either to go for a reach there, go with Harrison Barnes or Draymond Green. While Green is clearly the best player available in hindsight the fit on that roster is murky.

But nothing else makes any more sense with blocks at basically all positions. Barnes is blocked by a young Nic Batum who was still quite good then as well as Luke Babbitt who they had drafted two years prior. Green would be behind LaMarcus Aldridge and J.J. Hickson. While guard makes a lot of sense I cannot bring myself to take Dion Waiters or Terrence Ross over Barnes or Green.

So Green is the choice and I will be trusting Terry Stotts to do with Green what Steve Kerr ultimately did. This is a totally different Blazers team without Damian Lillard but Aldridge and Green could be a vicious pairing down low and if they are given guard help in the future the forward rotation for this team is elite. Green is best suited to play with other elite players and while this is a step down from the Golden State dynasty he still would impact the Blazers greatly.

The amount of variance in the future of the league from these top six picks cannot be understated. While Golden State did not take Draymond Green with the next pick this draft was essential to their eventual run. In this scenario that never happens.

With the seventh pick the 2012 NBA Redraft the Golden State Warriors select: