Could Dayton’s Obi Toppin be the Warriors dark horse?
The NBA Draft Lottery is over and even with the best odds for the No. 1 pick, the Warriors walked away with the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft.
The Warriors may trade the pick, and if they do move, they may still target one dark horse candidate.
The sophomore forward for the Dayton Flyers in 2020 proved to be one of the best players in the A-10 last year and was even in the running for one of the best players in all of NCAA. A little college in Ohio has produced a potential top-five NBA draft pick.
The NBA Draft Lottery saw the Golden State Warriors sadly drop out of the No. 1 pick which was given to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Warriors drew the No. 2 pick in the Draft. Obi Toppin should be atop their shortlist.
Last season in college, Toppin upped all of his stats. He averaged 20.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game. Those are definitely stats that the Warriors could add to their starting roster.
As a No. 2 pick, they should be expected to be talent ready to step in and immediately produce at a high level for the organization they are apart of. The Warriors are already used to playing “small-ball” without a center in the starting lineup.
They could move Draymond Green or Toppin to the center position — granted Toppin is 6-foot-9. He would also stretch the floor and add to the one thing the Golden State loves — a three-point shooter. He averaged over 1.0 in his sophomore year last season.
In my opinion, Toppin is the most NBA ready player in the projected top five picks. He would add to the Warriors lineup more skill that they need than Lamelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, or James Wiseman would.
There is quite regarding his poor defense that must still be looked at, but if they can fix that, he could be a star at the next level.
The Warriors need to really seek to study Obi Toppin and how he could help the team and how they could use him if it was a match where they could draft him. Even at the No. 2 position, Golden State still has their choice and that should be Toppin.