Less than two years ago the Golden State Warriors won an NBA championship while possessing three young lottery picks who essentially provided little on-court impact to that team.
The Warriors were the envy of the league -- imagine winning a title and still having that level of young talent to unearth. Yet less than two full seasons later, a championship team has fallen to one battling simply to make the postseason. How?
An NBA analyst believes the Golden State Warriors are starting to feel the long-lasting effects on their disastrous draft decision in 2020
One of those lottery picks -- their most credentialed in former number two overall pick James Wiseman -- proved a disaster. That's not all on Wiseman either, with little doubt the franchise's handling of the young big man was less than ideal.
Speaking Tuesday on 95.7 The Game, NBA journalist/analyst Nick Friedell stated the Warriors are starting to feel the impacts of missing out on such a high draft selection -- one that was supposed to be the bridge between the team's veterans and their future.
"That star was supposed to be the bridge and that bridge no longer exists. And it's not that the Warriors are gonna' shrivel up and disappear now because Steph is still at incredibly high level...but when you whiff on that type of pick that has a lasting for years on an organization and the Warriors are just starting to feel it now."Nick Friedell
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 26, 2024
The Warriors may have had the pain lessened somewhat by the emergence of Jonathan Kuminga this season, but even that hasn't been enough to disregard the blatant miss that proved to be Wiseman.
The second overall pick from 2020 played 60 games before being traded in a four-team deal that saw Golden State reacquire Gary Payton II. The defensive menace can still be an impactful rotation piece, yet he too doesn't come close to compensating for the initial draft miss.
Imagine Tyrese Haliburton or LaMelo Ball on the Warriors right now? In reality, the greatest pain may stem from missing out on the first overall pick and a chance at Anthony Edwards -- someone who looks bound to be a top 15 player in the league for the next decade and beyond.
The fact the Warriors even won one title without any contribution from that pick is quite impressive, let alone trying to win another as the team's veterans slide back to no longer being the same dominant forces as once was.