9. Monta Ellis
Monta Ellis was the Stephen Curry of the Warriors before any Warrior fan knew who Stephen Curry was. Year in and year out, Monta was the lone ray of light for the Golden State organization, surrounded largely by dark clouds.
While he is no Mitch Richmond or Tim Hardaway on the court, the reason this draft choice is so ranked so highly is because of the value the Warriors got from him. Ellis was picked in the 2nd round with the 40th overall selection of the 2005 NBA draft. The Warriors got excellent value from Ellis in his years with the Warriors where he averaged 19.5 points and six assists during his six and a half year tenure with the team. Ellis was one of four players from his draft class to forgo college and be drafted straight out of high school, the final year the NBA allowed that.
While never earning an All-Star appearance, Ellis dazzled the fans inside Oracle Arena on a regular basis and was the one player fans could hold on to and say to themselves, “at least we have Monta.”
Ellis represents the precursor to the dominate Warriors we know today. Monta gave us a taste of success, serving as arguably the best player on that magical “We Believe” team. He will always have a spot in the hearts of Dub Nation.