Who are the greatest second-round NBA draft picks in Warriors history?
SAN FRANCISCO Every time Draymond Green suits up for the Warriors he is an proceeding reminder that Golden State has a storied history when it comes to great second-round draft picks When the Warriors use what is expected to be their only selection of the NBA Draft to pick No overall on Thursday the same spot that Denver chose Niloka Jokic with in the franchise has a chance to add another participant to that list We re getting ready for that Forty-one I will say on that pick there has been a multi-time MVP picked there so anything can happen Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy revealed during Monday s news conference So who are the best second-rounders in Golden State history From high-scoring guards and Bay Area lifers to elite offensive rebounders the Warriors past includes a varied array of once-underrated prospects who defied the odds Their second-round picks have also produced their future head coach Keith Smart an NBA Finals record-holder with on FGs for their title unit Derrek Dickey the president architect of this year s Pacers NBA Finals company Kevin Pritchard and a father-and-son duo Pace Mannion Nico Mannion Here s who tops the list of their best Draymond Green A foundational piece of the Warriors dynasty lasted until the No pick in the draft He has remained an elite defensive participant even as he enters his late- s Is a slam-dunk Hall of Famer having made nine all-defensive teams won one Defensive Player of the Year award and been the do-everything stopper on four championship teams He created the archetype for the modern small-ball switchable center One of the greatest passing forwards ever whose dribble-handoffs with Steph Curry defined a generation Phil Smith The smooth shooting guard attended Washington High School in San Francisco before moving on to USF He was the No pick in the draft and won the NBA title in as a role member for the Warriors In - Smith averaged points assists and rebounds per contest and was named second-team All-NBA He finished seventh that season in MVP voting He averaged points per competition in six seasons with the Warriors and twice scored points in a championship in January and December Gilbert Arenas Arenas did not have a long career in the Bay Area but as was the scenario for his entire career it was memorable for reasons both on and off the court Arenas held he should have been a first-round pick in not No He ended up being proven right by averaging points per match as a rookie and points per tournament in his second season when he was named the league s Majority Improved Athlete After two seasons with Golden State Arenas signed with the Wizards as a restricted free agent to a million deal The Warriors were unable to match the offer without going over the salary cap The transaction led to the so-called Gilbert Arenas rule designed to prevent similar scenarios from happening again Monta Ellis The th pick in the NBA Draft was named Preponderance Improved Athlete in but his impact went beyond that solitary accolade He was a key participant on the We Believe group that shocked and captivated the NBA world with its first-round upset of top-seeded Dallas in During several lean years between that epic upset and Curry s ascension in Ellis was a rare bright spot for Golden State as he averaged over points per match four times His acrobatic drives tough shot-making and gaudy point totals gave fans something to cheer about in the unit s non-contending seasons Joe Ellis The other Ellis on the list was the No pick in the draft and as Bay Area as they come He attended Oakland powerhouse McClymonds High School in the early- s and then followed in the footsteps of fellow Mack alum Bill Russell by starring at the USF Ellis developed into a reliable double-digit scorer for the then-San Francisco Warriors After retiring from basketball in the s he remained a Bay Area staple working for the San Francisco Parks and Rec department and coaching youth teams in both basketball and table tennis Related Articles NBA Draft Five intriguing options that could directly help Warriors How much money can Warriors spend this NBA offseason It s complicated Golden State Warriors help transform lives of incarcerated men through coaching plan Mike Dunleavy sizes up OKC Thunder explains draft philosophy as Warriors enter NBA offseason Kevin Durant being sent from Suns to Rockets in a blockbuster commerce AP source says Honorable mentions Gus Williams The th pick in the draft spent the first two seasons of his career as a productive athlete in the Bay Area finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting But he was best known for his time in Seattle where he became The Wizard and helped lead the Sonics win the NBA title Larry Smith The th overall pick in the draft who was a dependable frontcourt option for Golden State for nine seasons Averaged an eye-popping offensive rebounds per battle despite standing just -foot- Nickname was The Man with the Golden Legs Marc Jackson It took three seasons for the th pick in the NBA Draft to make his Warriors debut He only played games for Golden State but made them memorable Finished third in Rookie of the Year voting by averaging points and rebounds per encounter as a -year-old Larry Costello Played two seasons after being the No pick in the draft by the Philadelphia Warriors missing one year in between to serve in the Korean War Became an elite all-NBA athlete in Syracuse and then coached the Bucks to a championship in the early- s
