Golden State Warriors may have chance to draft Jonathan Kuminga or Scottie Barnes

There are a few prospects with increasingly rising stocks, and the Golden State Warriors may be able to draft a presumed top-six prospect because of it. It seems the top four are locked in with Cade Cunningham as the clear No. 1 overall pick.

After Cunningham, the next three are supposed to be Jalen Suggs, Jalen Green, and Evan Mobley in no particular order. Following those four, many were expecting Scottie Barnes and Jonathan Kuminga to go next.

As the 2021 NBA Draft nears, there’s growing optimism that the Golden State Warriors will have the option for Scottie Barnes and Jonathan Kuminga at No. 7.

However, there may be a few names that jump those two.

One of them is shooting guard James Bouknight who played collegiately at the University of Connecticut. According to Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo, there’s potential that he’s taken ahead of Kuminga.

"There’s been an increasing amount of chatter among rival teams connecting Bouknight to the Thunder at No. 6, and in any scenario, it appears unlikely he falls past No. 8."

In Woo’s mock draft, Kuminga is the one that drops, not Barnes.

For Golden State, that still presents both a tough decision and an intriguing opportunity. Kuminga isn’t the win-now prospect that Baylor’s Davion Mitchell could be. Mitchell is 22 and was the best defensive guard in the Big 12 last season.

However, a core of James Wiseman and Kuminga moving forward could give the Warriors a decade of production whereas Mitchell would provide an instant spark defensively. If he’s there, the Warriors should draft Kuminga.

The upside compared to Mitchell or any other player that would be available is just too much to pass up on. Kuminga is just 18 and played for the G-League’s Ignite instead of heading to college. Kuminga was the No. 4 prospect in the Class of 2020 per 247Sports.

At the G-League level, he averaged 15.8 points per game. He started 13 games and, in those 13 appearances, shot under 40 percent from the field and under 30 percent from deep. Both of those should eventually approve but also show some clear concerns with his efficiency.

The 6-foot-8 Kuminga is one of the most athletic players in the draft. His upside as an attacker and defender are clearly there. He’ll need to improve his shooting, and there’s be no better place to get that development than Golden State.

If he’s available, it’ll be highly interesting to see which path the organization decides to go down.