Golden State Warriors continue second-round strategy in latest ESPN mock draft

The Golden State Warriors officially gave up their 2024 first-round pick to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, meaning they won't enter next month's NBA Draft until late in the second-round.

Their top four protected pick predictably landed at 14th overall, leaving the Warriors with the 52nd overall selection in a draft that's considered weak by many experts.

ESPN's latest mock draft has the Golden State Warriors taking BYU shooting-guard Jaxson Robinson with the 52nd overall pick

In the aftermath of Sunday's lottery results, ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo released their most recent mock draft featuring all 58 picks. The pair have Golden State taking Jaxson Robinson out of BYU, with the 6'7" wing having just completed his senior year.

Robinson played sparingly in his first two collegiate seasons with the Texas A&M Aggies and Arkansas Razorbacks -- he averaged 2.1 points in 9.7 minutes during his freshman year, then 3.4 points in 10.2 minutes in his lone season with the Razorbacks.

The 21-year-old has had more impact in the past two seasons following his transfer to BYU -- he averaged 8.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 2022-23, before leading the Cougars in scoring this season with 14.2 points on 42.6% shooting and 35.4% from three-point range, along with 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

Robinson has entered the transfer portal but recently told ESPN that the draft remains his priority in hoping to live out his NBA dream. NBADraft.net compares him to Pelicans' wing Trey Murphy III, labelling Robinson a "long, wiry athlete with NBA athleticism … Late bloomer … Big-time shooter, among the top 3 point shooters available for this year’s draft."

NBADraft.net has Robinson as the 37th pick in their most recent mock draft and Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman has him 46th overall, yet the The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor doesn't have him on the board at all.

After hitting on 57th overall pick Trayce Jackson-Davis last year, many mock drafts have Golden State continuing their second-round draft strategy of taking players with extensive college experience.

Bleacher Report recently had the Warriors taking five-year collegiate player and back-to-back NCAA champion Tristen Newton, while fellow five-year prospect Antonio Reeves and four-year player PJ Hall have also been mentioned as possibilities with the 52nd pick.