Golden State Warriors NBA Draft Big Board: 5 Prospects to target

Golden State Warriors NBA Draft: Scottie Barnes

Scottie Barnes is the ultimate x-factor in this year’s NBA Draft. He posted jaw-dropping measurements at the NBA Draft combine and is an even more impressive athlete. Despite this, he is very likely to fall out of the top five. Will we look back at this class and wonder how the hell a prospect like Barnes didn’t go in the top-three? Or will he be another example of failed potential?

Scottie Barnes combine measurements

• Height – 6’7″ (6’8″ with shoes)
• Wingspan – 7’2″
• Standing Reach – 9’0″
• Standing Vertical Jump – 39.5′ (Ranks 9th in combine)

He’s a lanky, muscular tank-like wing with high-flying leaping ability and a raw skillset of 3-point shooting and ball handling. The only problem is, Barnes hasn’t put it all together just yet.

Barnes posted 10.3 points, 4.1 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in his freshman season with Florida State. He struggled to shoot the ball consistently, only clipping 27.5 percent of his 3-point attempts and just 62 percent of his free throws.

Nonetheless, his physical gifts lead us to believe he’s going to be a force of nature on the defensive end. As Draymond Green would say, there isn’t a single thing you can throw at Barnes that would make him uncomfortable. He’s quite literally equipped to defend 1-5 and this should have the Warriors salivating.

It would be difficult to keep Barnes on the floor if he can’t space the floor. However, at 19 years of age, I see no reason why the Dubs couldn’t get him on the right path towards reaching league-average from deep, at least.

The underlying issue here is the mismatched timelines. Will Barnes be too much of a project to capitalize on the Dubs’ championship window? I’d be lying if I told you I had the answer to that question. But, that’s the beauty of this crapshoot that is the NBA Draft, isn’t it?