Warriors NBA Draft: Anthony Edwards’ workout ‘discouraging’ to NBA GMs
By Brett Siegel
Top draft prospect and potential Warriors target Anthony Edwards was a part of a live pre-draft workout on ESPN last week and NBA front offices were not blown away with what they saw.
The best NBA prospect in this year’s NBA Draft is undoubtedly Anthony Edwards from Georgia, but he may not be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. After a lackluster performance at his recent live workout, the Golden State Warriors may have a shot at taking the high-flying guard with the No. 2 pick.
ESPN’s NBA Draft Analyst, Jonathan Givony, was at Edwards’ live workout and talked about the feedback he received from it around the league. In his article on ESPN+, Givony discussed how Edwards seemed to look lazy and not giving his full effort during this workout.
This reportedly did not sit well with a lot of NBA executives around the league who were expecting to see Edwards stronger and improved skilled wise than he was at the end of his freshman season at Georgia. This was not the case with Edwards and as a result, may cost him being the top pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
NBA Draft insider, Mike Schmitz, broke down Anthony Edwards and talked about what makes him such a special prospect:
When we criticize Anthony Edwards for his shot selection and defensive habits, I think it's important to keep in mind his path until this point, some of the tragedy he has endured and the fact that he didn't' always have the infastructure to build winning habits prior to college. pic.twitter.com/kPXSgMRvV4
— Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) November 2, 2020
The Minnesota Timberwolves have a lot of options with the top pick in the draft and with this recent news surrounding Anthony Edwards, they could look elsewhere with the No. 1 overall pick. If Edwards falls to the Warriors, he could provide them with an immediate spark as a result of him having all the potential to be an All-Star in the NBA.
The Warriors have been rumored to have high interest in former Memphis center James Wiseman as well, so if Edwards somehow falls out of the top spot in the draft and Wiseman is also there, the Warriors will have a tough decision to make. Either way, they would be drafting a young, very promising prospect, but it comes down to whether or not they want to draft a lengthy and versatile center or a crazy athletic wing.
Both players would be a great fit in the Warriors’ system, but Anthony Edwards on a team with Steph and Klay in the backcourt could be too good to be true. Not a lot of pressure would be put on Edwards early on and since he needs to improve his shooting numbers, only shooting 29.4% from three-point range last season, he could definitely learn a lot from Curry and Thompson, two of the best shooters in NBA history.
The best-case scenario for the Golden State Warriors is that LaMelo Ball is drafted No. 1 overall by the Timberwolves or to whoever they trade the pick to. This gives the Warriors the chance to draft either James Wiseman, Anthony Edwards, or trade the pick in order to draft a guy like Deni Avdija who the Warriors are really high on.
Time will tell who will be the next young face welcomed in the Bay Area as the 2020 NBA Draft is scheduled for November 18 on ESPN.
Next. Stephen A. Smith weighs in on the Warriors’ chances for success in 2020-21. dark