Golden State Warriors take 40% three-point shooter in latest mock draft

The Golden State Warriors have an eye for perimeter shooting threats, having produced the greatest of all-time in Stephen Curry, and other top five all-time shooter in Klay Thompson.

Even in last year’s NBA draft, the reigning champions swooped on Patrick Baldwin Jr. with the 28th overall pick. The 20 year-old forward may have seen limited minutes in his rookie season, but his 43.3% three-point shooting is providing optimism for a fruitful career ahead.

The Golden State Warriors could look at another efficient three-point shooter with their first-round pick in the 2023 NBA draft.

With March Madness nearing its commencement, For the Win’s Bryan Kalbrosky has revealed his latest mock draft. Within it he has Golden State taking 6’6″ guard Colby Jones with the 19th overall pick.

The 20-year-old is in his junior year at the Xavier Musketeers, and has rose up draft ranks with major improvement this season. In his freshman year Jones averaged 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, shooting 46.4% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range.

In his sophomore year he improved to 11.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists, though his three-point shooting fell to 29.2%. However, with increased volume Jones has risen to 15.3 points on 40.2% from deep so far this season. He’s shooting an impressive 52.6% from the field overall, while also adding 5.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.

Jones’ recent performances have been eye popping, particularly from an efficiency standpoint. He had 19 points in 20 minutes on ten shots against the Seton Hall Pirates on February 25. He then had a career-high 29 points against the Providence Friars, making ten of his 11 shots –including 3-for-3 from deep — to go with nine rebounds, four assists and zero turnovers. On Sunday he had 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting along with eight rebounds and four assists against the Butler Bulldogs. All three performances led to wins for the Musketeers.

At the start of December Sports Illustrated criticized Jones’ three-point shooting, but the numbers would suggest this is an improved area of his game. Here’s how they described his offensive game:

"Jones scores well off the bounce, with effective scoring tactics in the midrange and at the rim. He lacks an elite first step and isn’t a crazy athlete, but uses his size and length to his advantage. Furthermore on the offensive end, he moves well without the ball which puts him in the right position to score efficiently."

That last sentence may be most attractive to the Warriors, a team who play a High IQ style where players need to know where to be at all times. Currently fifth in the Western Conference at 34-31, the landing spot of Golden State’s first-round pick could certainly swing based on the final 17 games of the season. The NBA draft is set to take place at Barclays Center on June 22.