The Golden State Warriors Should Draft Grayson Allen

With the 28th pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, the Warriors should consider taking a big-time college player who has somehow become an underrated prospect.

The Warriors will likely be looking to select an athletic wing player who can contribute right away next season when they are on the clock in Thursday night’s draft.

Golden State’s depth on the wing was exposed last season after they lost Andre Iguodala and Patrick McCaw to injury.

The wing position will be their biggest need this offseason, and they have an opportunity to pick a player to fill that void in the rotation during the draft.

Duke’s Grayson Allen may be the biggest name coming out of college, but most draft analysts think he will be selected late in the first round.

I think he’s got a great shot at becoming a productive NBA player, and the Warriors should waste no time in picking him if he’s available at pick number 28.

Allen showed he’s a quality shooter in college with a career three-point percentage of 38% at Duke, including 37% on 7.5 attempts per game last season.

He also improved as a distributor on the offensive end during his college career capping off his senior year with 4.6 assists per game.

Allen performed well on the biggest stage at Duke making the All-Tournament team as a freshman during the Blue Devils’ run to a national title.

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In addition to his offensive skill and big game ability, Allen’s athleticism was on full display at the NBA Combine.

He had the fourth-best max vertical leap (40.5 inches) and standing vertical (32.5 inches) of all this year’s Combine participants. Allen also ran the second-best shuttle time (3.4 seconds), and his lane agility time of 10.31 seconds is among the five best marks in Combine history dating back to 2000 according to Jonathan Givony.

Allen isn’t the best defender in the draft, and he has some trouble finishing at the rim. However, the Warriors could use him in a role that accentuates his strengths and covers up his weaknesses.

He also doesn’t have great upside after four years in college, but that experience at Duke could allow him to be a major contributor right away at the NBA level.

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Allen’s tendency to trip other players drew plenty of ire from college basketball fans, but I wouldn’t worry about his character if I was a general manager.

Drafting Allen would solidify the Warriors as the most hated team in the league, but his skill set would make him a perfect fit in Golden State.