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Golden State Warriors: Revisiting the pivotal 2012 NBA Draft

By Tony Pesta

NEWARK, NJ - JUNE 28: Harrison Barnes (R) of North Carolina greets NBA Commissioner David Stern (L) after he was selected number seven overall by the Golden State Warriors during the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft at Prudential Center on June 28, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - JUNE 28: Harrison Barnes (R) of North Carolina greets NBA Commissioner David Stern (L) after he was selected number seven overall by the Golden State Warriors during the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft at Prudential Center on June 28, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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The 2012 NBA Draft may have been the most pivotal draft in franchise history for the Golden State Warriors.

Traveling back to a time before the 2012 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors were one of many lottery teams praying for a chance to draft a superstar big man out of Kentucky, Anthony Davis.

The Dubs entered the draft lottery with under a four percent chance of walking away with the top pick after posting a 23-43 record the season before. Imagining a player such as Davis playing alongside the Warriors during their dynasty runs is terrifying but it is a sight we never got to see as the Dubs landed the No. 7 pick.

Still, this pick proved to be valuable. The Warriors managed to secure a pure scoring forward in Harrison Barnes. However, their most crucial pick came later in the second round when the franchise found a diamond in the rough in Draymond Green.

Green was selected with the 35th pick and was the third prospect selected by the Warriors in the 2012 draft. Names such as Tyler Zeller, Royce White and Perry Jones were all taken before the future Defensive Player of the Year.

We don’t have to spend much time highlighting the impact Green had on the Warriors. He took them to new heights with his versatility and was a major contributor to three championships.

On the contrary, it’s time to reflect on Barnes’s time in Golden State. Barnes spent four seasons with the Dubs and was a member of the 2012-13 All-Rookie team. For much of this time, Barnes served as a consistent scorer at the forward position to compliment the big trio of Green, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Soon, the Warriors would replace Barnes with a four-time scoring champion in Kevin Durant. However, Barnes still deserves credit for being a pivotal piece in bringing the Dubs’ death lineup together for the first time.

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The 2012 Draft was an important one for the Warriors and it served as their most recent selection in the lottery. This year, we will hope to see the Dubs walk away with another stash of successful picks.

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