The Golden State Warriors hold the No. 11 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. While a lot of the speculation and mock drafts have them taking a big man like Aday Mara or Yaxel Lendeborg, they could shock some people by taking point guard Christian Anderson out of Texas Tech.
Anderson is undersized at 6-foot-2 and 165 pounds, but he is quickly rising in recent mock drafts and there’s been a little buzz in connection with the Warriors. Would they really go with a small guard when there are other potential needs to address?
Anderson would be a more future-oriented pick for Warriors
The Warriors could always use more offense and Anderson might be an answer. He shot 45.5% from the field in his collegiate career and made 40% of his three-point attempts. He had 244 assists in his final season with the Red Raiders, proving he’s a guy who can shoot and pass the ball with great skill.
Obviously, that fits right in with what the Warriors like to do offensively. Golden State moves the ball around and passes more than most teams and the Warriors rely on above-average three-point shooting to score since they lack the size to be all that physically imposing.
Anderson would be a pick who plays into what the Warriors already do well. He probably wouldn’t be a starter in the short-term, with the Warriors obviously set with their starting point guard assuming Stephen Curry is healthy. Having two undersized guards as part of a starting lineup is probably not something the Warriors will be all that interested in.
By most indications they are looking to draft someone who can be plugged into the lineup and play regularly early on, meaning Anderson wouldn’t really fit that bill.
Drafting him would be more of an investment in the future, but not the way Jonathan Kuminga was. When the Warriors drafted Kuminga it was always clear he was an imperfect fit in Golden State’s system. If Kerr is to be believed and he wants to use his last few years with the Warriors to set the team up well going forward, perhaps Anderson is a player who could be the team’s starting point guard in a few years when Curry is retired.
The Warriors are still at least trying to remain competitive so they probably aren’t thinking about drafting guys who won’t make an impact for a couple years.
Still, it’s interesting to think about the Warriors making a move like that, and drafting Anderson would certainly catch a lot of people by surprise.Â
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