Golden State Warriors: 5 options for pick No. 14 in 2021 NBA Draft

Golden State Warriors options for pick No. 14: 2. Ziaire Williams, Wing, Stanford

A pair of key NBA Draft rules are at odds when evaluating where in the draft to take Stanford wing Ziaire Williams. On the one hand, the rule is to always draft the big wing. While some won’t pan out, the positional value and lineup versatility of such a player makes it worth the bet nearly every time.

On the other hand, another rule tells us to be suspicious of the elite prospect who bombs in college. From Harry Giles to Nassir Little to Cole Anthony, there is a long, long list of recent highly-touted prospects who had poor freshman seasons and went on to have similar starts to their careers. Perhaps they bounce back, perhaps they don’t.

What fans of Williams point to is the absolutely insane off-court factors that the teenager had to sort through this past season, from family members passing away to living out of a hotel for months unable to go home due to COVID.

Williams is tall at 6’9″, although he is painfully thin and was mowed over by opponents. He shot terribly from the field, didn’t impact the court on defense and didn’t leverage his athleticism to make plays. In essence, he didn’t do anything well at Stanford. Can that all be explained away? If it was just a lost year, his high school production was exceptional, and he has the body and theoretical skillset teams want.

Taking Williams at 14 would be a home run swing, one probably better suited for a rebuilding team. Yet if any environment was going to help Williams it would be a winning culture like the Warriors. He could become a legitimate star on the wing, the Warriors’ version of Kawhi Leonard.

There are multiple priorities the Golden State Warriors have to balance with both of their lottery picks. They can take a swing for the fences, draft for the future, or try to add a piece for the present. The clock on the window for this core is ticking; do they try to maximize it or prepare for when it’s done? Either way Thursday will be a busy time for the Warriors as they consider who to pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.