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Golden State Warriors: Ranking top 5 guards in NBA Draft

By Tony Pesta

CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 09: LaMelo Ball of the Hawks drives to the basket during the round six NBL match between the Cairns Taipans and the Illawarra Hawks at the Cairns Convention Centre on November 09, 2019 in Cairns, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 09: LaMelo Ball of the Hawks drives to the basket during the round six NBL match between the Cairns Taipans and the Illawarra Hawks at the Cairns Convention Centre on November 09, 2019 in Cairns, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images) /
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Golden State Warriors (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

5. Cassius Stanley

Thus far in my past two rundowns of the top prospects to watch for in each position, I have included a sleeper pick at the bottom of our rankings. Cassius Stanley will not be selected with the No. 2 overall pick – but perhaps he could appear on the Golden State Warriors radar later in the draft if they trade down.

Pros

Stanely is an unbelievable athlete. He broke Zion Williamson’s verticle record at Duke University and is being labeled the best dunker in his class. This type of power alongside the likes of Stephen Curry would be incredibly fun to watch.

However, he is more than a high-jumper. Stanley has fluid mechanics on his step-back shots and should pan out as an off-dribble shot creator. He is also a decent passer despite only averaging 1.0 assist per game.

Cons

Still, Stanley doesn’t have much going for him outside of his absurd athleticism. This is okay, as more skill can later be developed through hard work – which he displays a ton of.

Nonetheless, Stanely has concerns as a shooter and decision-maker. His reckless tendencies get him caught up by smarter defenses and his quickness is almost a detriment as he often gets stuck in bad situations on the drive.

If the Warriors want to take a chance on an uber-athletic 6’5″ guard towards the back of the draft, who is to blame them?

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