Golden State Warriors Should Consider Bringing Back Ekpe Udoh

With just one more win between them and another NBA title, the Golden State Warriors best look ahead to the future of the franchise and consider bringing in former Warriors player, Ekpe Udoh.

After decisively beating the Cleveland Cavaliers three times in a row in the 2017 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors are — barring any injuries to their core four — likely your 2017 NBA Champions. But the work never stops: With just one more win to go, the organization must now begin cementing their offseason plans.

Guys like Shaun Livingston, Ian Clark and JaVale McGee are likely to get substantial offers to play for other NBA teams, and the futures of guys like Matt Barnes, David West, James Michael McAdoo, and Zaza Pachulia are up in the air.

Furthermore, the Golden State Warriors currently have no draft picks in the upcoming 2017 NBA Draft; therefore, everyone should expect the Warriors to have a list of free agents they’d consider adding to replace the aforementioned guys.

If he’s not on the list already, I’d personally like to add former sixth overall pick and reigning EuroLeague champion, Ekpe Udoh, to that growing list of free agent options.

International Development Proves Successful

Choosing to play overseas after failing to remain in the NBA can come with a negative stigma, but Udoh’s fate with the Golden State Warriors — and, by extension, the fate of his NBA career — was simply a case of being drafted (and later, traded) into a bad situation.

Udoh was drafted by the Warriors in 2010 amid a change in ownership and complete franchise overhaul. The 2011 NBA lockout did no one any favors, and in 2012, Udoh was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks alongside Monta Ellis and Kwame Brown for injured Bucks centerpiece, Andrew Bogut.

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Unable to find a solid foundation on which to build in the NBA, Udoh took his talents overseas. This decision turned out to be for the best, as he became a better player for it and eventually won multiple accolades, including All-EuroLeague first team honors (2017), All-EuroLeague second team honors (2016), and Turkish League All-Star honors (2016).

His team, Fenerbahçe, won the Turkish Cup, the Turkish President’s Cup, and the Turkish League in 2016. They made it to the final round of the 2016 EuroLeague Final Four, losing 101-96 to CSKA Moscow. In total, Udoh played 64 games (54 starts) over the course of his 2015-16 campaign, averaging 11.9 points (56.1 FG%), 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.8 blocks in 27.3 minutes per game.

Udoh re-signed with Fenerbahçe for 2017, playing a total 57 games (43 starts) on per game averages of 11.1 points (58.6 FG%), 6.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.8 blocks in 29 minutes. He earned 2017 EuroLeague Final Four MVP honors, leading Fenerbahçe to their first franchise EuroLeague title.

Why Bring Him Back?

If you’ve watched the videos I’ve linked in this article, you’ll see that Udoh still defends at a high level, he still runs the floor well, and much of his offense comes out of the pick-and-roll. He also displays solid awareness working out of the post, picking his spots to score and making the right pass when necessary.

If that doesn’t scream WARRIORS BASKETBALL, then I honestly don’t know what to tell you. In fact, it’s possible that Udoh’s skillset just wasn’t a good fit for the average NBA team five-to-six years ago. If you will, Udoh was, in the eternal words of Joe Lacob, “light years ahead.”

Now with the advent of small-ball centers, Udoh projects to be a much better fit. He doesn’t display much of an outside shot, but Udoh doesn’t need to space the floor with the three greatest floor-spacers on the floor alongside him.

Instead, Udoh could possibly replicate what David West normally does offensively in terms of moving the ball, making the right pass, and being a tough, defensive presence in the paint.

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And again, the Warriors have a number of spots to fill if they don’t bring back their pending free agents. There’s a plethora of good guards on the free agent market that Golden State could get for cheap, and it’s likely the Warriors could buy into the 2017 NBA Draft to take advantage of a draft class filled with serviceable big men.

But how often does a team get the chance to bring back a former draft pick playing overseas at an incredibly high level? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that Ekpe Udoh would be a great addition to the Golden State Warriors next season.