What Barry believes Dubs should prioritize with No. 2 pick

Share

What should the Warriors do with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft?

Will they select somebody who they believe is the most ready to contribute immediately, or will they prioritize a prospect with the most upside?

Might they trade down several spots in the lottery and acquire a future asset, or strike a deal that sends the selection elsewhere in exchange for a star veteran?

NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry was a guest Tuesday on NBC Sports Bay Area's "Runnin' Plays" podcast with Grant Liffmann and Kerith Burke. And although he didn't definitively state what he would do if he was Warriors general manager Bob Myers, he did offer some analysis on what Golden State should be looking for.

"If you don't have a player that you feel confident can step right in and be an integral part of your success to try to compete for a championship -- and he's some player that you think may be able to help you two or three years down the road -- do you want to take him?" Barry said. "Their time is now. They need to get somebody who's gonna contribute now. And if there is someone out there that you can trade for, then perhaps you take a look at that and give it some serious consideration.

"If you're going to compete for championships with these three guys (Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green) -- if you surround them with the right people -- you gotta do it now. You can't wait three years."

That's a very fair perspective. Ideally, the front office picks someone who helps right away, and blossoms into a star in his own right.

Barry -- who led the Warriors to the NBA title in 1975 -- doesn't know who that prospect might be because he admitted he doesn't know much of anything about this draft class.

But there is a trait he believes the Dubs' choice must possess.

"The one element you have to look for first and foremost -- does the player have a natural feel for the game of basketball?" he said. "You should be able to recognize that after watching a kid play for 10 minutes.

"Give me a guy who knows how to play and is a great character person. Somebody can learn to be a better ball handler, somebody can learn to be a better rebounder, somebody can learn to be a better shooter.

"I always tell people -- I can teach you how to pass (but) I can't teach you how to see."

The 2020 NBA Draft originally was scheduled to take place June 25, but got pushed back to Oct. 16. Now, the expectation is that it will be delayed at least a couple more weeks.

So we don't know when it will be held, and it's very safe to assume the Warriors' front office is unsure at this point which direction it will go with the No. 2 pick.

Contact Us