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Draft Preview Part 2: The Guards and Swingmen

This is the second part of a look at prospects that the Golden State Warriors are likely considering taking in the first round of Tuesday’s draft.

Russell Westbrook: This supremely athletic combo-guard could add another element to the Dub’s backcourt with his defensive intensity and comfort in transition. The problem is that Westbrook is a ‘tweener in so many ways that his game just might not work in the NBA.

Westbrook is between 6’3” and 6’4” but has a wingspan near 6’8” which makes him a more formidable perimeter defender and allows him to play larger than his meager height. He also has quite large hands which help in his specialty: Dunking.

On offense, Westbrook is the kind of player who scores his points in the flow of the game. He struggles creating his own shot and lacks the handles to be an effective slasher. Combine that with his jumper that is pedestrian at best, and you have a player who will not make much of an impact in terms of points.

The area that could save Westbrook is his passing. He does not appear to be a spectacular playmaker but was a point guard in college. At the one position, however, his height problems would be solved and, to some extent, his lack of scoring would be masked.

As for his future on Golden State, a big problem will likely be the future of Monta Ellis. A Westbrook/Ellis back court is deficient in both height and ball-handling. Since Westbrook knows his limits, he would be a nice third guard who comes in for defense and could be developed into something greater down the road.

How he fits: His lack of scoring punch likely means that Warrior’s management will pass on Westbrook unless they absolutely fall in love with his measurable and potential.

Joe Alexander: While his defense is questionable and his game is still developing, Alexander right now has enough tools to be a good fit in Oakland.

On first glance, Alexander possesses great leaping ability and overall athleticism. His lateral quickness is not great however meaning that he will not be a superb perimeter defender. 

He also is not a great ball-handler though he did improve that element of his game last season. With that come a few issues with his ability to create his own shot.

Alexander’s jumper however is a thing of beauty. It lacks a ton of range right now but he has great from mid-range and excels when dropping turnarounds from the post. He also is a good freethrow shooter (80 percent) and has a massive array of dunks that he can employ.

What stands out about Alexander however is his intensity, work ethic and basketball IQ. He sees the floor well, is a good passer and has a good feel for moving without the ball. With his natural gifts and gym rat attitude, Alexander still has a lot of improvement a head of him, especially considering he has only been playing basketball for five yours. As Dubs fans saw with POB, all the talent and skill in the world is nothing without a powerful work ethic to drive it.

How he fits: Very athletic, check. Good Jump shot: check. Great work ethic combined with a high ceiling, double check. Take him if he’s there, enough said.

D.J. Augustin: The hardest part with Augustin is getting over the fact that he stands at just 5’11” and was not exactly a high percentage shooter in college. This guy hit just 43 percent of his shots and took over five 3-pointers per game last year.

On the positive side he is quite quick, plays hard and is an excellent ball handler. He packs a nice array of shots and would be able to run the Dubs offense and maybe spell Baron.

Augustin however is quite streaky and, like most of the Warriors, seems to be content to try to shoot himself out of bad streaks. It also has to be factored in that he would likely be playing alongside Monta Ellis at some point, making a decidedly small and defenseless backcourt.

How he fits: Quite poorly. Hopefully he gets taken before the 14^th pick so perhaps someone else can fall to Golden State.

Nicolas Batum: 6’8” athletic swingmen are usually a hot commodity, but in Batum’s case questions about his intensity have caused him to fall a bit. He still had the talent to be considered the top European in the draft, so there is something there.

This Frenchman is a great finisher and very comfortable in transition. His jumper is not notably good and his rebounding is poor despite his height. Batum could make a lot of progress if he added more muscle since he is now just 214 pounds.

His passing however is excellent and he has an unselfish attitude, both skills that could work well with the other Warriors. On offense however he lacks the one-on-one scoring and driving skills that Nellie will probably want.

The two issues with will decide if Batum makes it on Golden State are his assertiveness and what the Warriors expect out of him. At best right now he looks like he could develop into a good defensive player who facilitates the offense and takes shots and drives when they make themselves available. He will not be a top line player but likely an extremely good role player.

If Batum does not show aggressiveness and willingness to attack the rim, the Warriors will likely bypass him for someone else. The only thing that could counterbalance that would be him showing more willingness to move around more without the ball, something the Dubs lacked for much of last season.

How he fits: Not very well. If he’s there and no one else is, it would be worth the gamble, but Batum should not be Mullin’s first choice.

Donte Greene: A versatile player who is bounding up draft charts, Greene’s game fits perfectly in the Warriors mis-match based offense. He is a good shooter and has the frame to add some muscle. His position is somewhat in flux as he has the height of a power forward but lacks bulk and has the game of a small forward.

At 6’10” he has shown the ability to hit jumpers and score from the perimeter while his back to the basket game is also improving. Last year he also put up good numbers with 7.2 boards, 2 assists and over one block and steal per game.

On the downside, he is neither tough nor much of a defensive player. His biggest flaw however might be what makes him so perfect for the Warriors: shot selection.

Greene took 7.5 threes per game in his only college season and has showed little restraint in taking poor shots. That however seems to be an endearing quality in Oakland, especially with Nelson on the bench.

Though he is a bit of a project, Greene has so much potential that he could be worth the gamble. Tall small forwards who can shoot and potentially could do damage inside are few and far between.

Greene worked out for the Warriors on Friday which could demonstrate real interest or could be a smoke screen.

How he fits: Perhaps too well. Greene would give the Dubs more of what they already have, players who take a lot of mediocre shots. He is however very talented and would be very intriguing in Warrior blue.

Chris Douglas-Roberts: As an NCAA player he was good enough to lead his team to a title game and be in a position to clinch a national championship for his team (which he blew). In the draft he is a smart, unspectacular player who does not look great but seems to get things done on the court.

His ball handling is not superb leading to a sub-par A/T ratio and his rebounding leaves something to be desired for a 6’7” player.  The bigger issue is that he will never be a go-to isolation perimeter scorer which might be a problem with Nellie.

He just has an awkward way of moving around on the court but he is still good at attacking the rim.

Douglas-Roberts scored inside with dunks, very nice floaters and some really creative awkward shots near the basket. His shooting was maligned early in his career but last season he converted a very high percent from beyond the arc. Scouts also have noted that the real reason he could end up on Golden State is his defense. The Dubs could always use more perimeter defenders and Douglas-Roberts can cause fits for guards with his height and long arms (though he lacks bulk and is not very strong).

While not being a very exciting pick, CDR could address some needs and still become a nice role player in the Warrior’s offense. Taking him would be a safe move, not necessarily on that would send fans into a frenzy but one that could pay off well in coming years.

How he fits: Very well.  The Warriors can always use more wings and one that play good D are usually nice to have around.

The biggest key in this draft is for the Warrior’s brass to stay sharp and not become complacent. It is easy for front offices to fall in love with “their guy” and make reaches or let a talented player who is falling on draft night pass them by. It’s likely Mullin is still looking at trade options so the draft could be quite eventful for the Warrior faithful.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 23rd, 2008 at 8:46 am and is filed under Golden State Warriors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.