Klay Thompson Analysis: The Warriors have a new owner, a new head coach and new management. Of the three, the most important addition might be Jerry West, who knows how to build winners and is far from a wallflower. The first shoe is already beginning to drop with word that the Warriors are open to moving Monta Ellis. His replacement? The sweet shooting Thompson, who has wowed in recent workouts. He has size, the pedigree and, most of all, the blessing of West. Marcus Morris and Alec Burks are other possibilities here.
I'd rather take Burks. Good athlete/high basketball IQ/ more potential than Thompson IMO. If he's not available, would anyone be on board with drafting Marshon Brooks?
The green room invites from Chad Ford's report are: Kyrie Irving (Duke); Derrick Williams (Arizona); Enes Kanter (Turkey); Brandon Knight (Kentucky); Kemba Walker (UConn); Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania); Jan Vesely (Czech Republic); Kawhi Leonard (San Diego St.); Chris Singleton (Florida St.); Klay Thompson (Washington St.); Tristan Thompson (Texas); Jimmer Fredette (BYU); Marcus Morris (Kansas); and Alec Burks (Colorado). A 15th name has been added -- Markieff Morris of Kansas. Markieff is Marcus Morris' twin and also widely considered to be a top 20 draft pick. The only conspicuous name left off the list is Bismack Biyombo from Congo. Several others, including USC's Nikola Vucevic; Providence's Marshon Brooks; and Texas' Jordan Hamilton have an outside shot of cracking the lottery as well. In the past, the NBA has expanded the list as the draft date draws closer. Of course, players aren't prohibited from attending the NBA draft without an invite to the green room. Players can sit in the stands with the fans and walk up on stage when their names are called. At #11: 1. Alec Burks - He looks like what W's need. He can rebound, handle the ball, penetrate and dish and get to the line. His form and perimeter shooting looks like its improved, but its his weakness. Defense is okay. 2. Klay Thompson - I was wrong about my initial impressions. He's a great shooter and clutch. Could be the best shooter with Fredette. He can't do as much as Burks with the ball (weakness), but he's got size, poise and great footwork. He can penetrate and get some points that way. I'm impressed with the way he's handled things. Not much D. 3. Kawhi Leonard - He could fall. I'm not as sure about him as I was earlier, but he's a great defensive player. His shot isn't there on the perimeter, so he'll have to develop it. With his combination of size and skill, he'd be great pickup at #11 if he falls. Don't think he'll get past Charlotte. 4. Jimmer Fredette - He could fall, but maybe he hasn't risen. I'm assuming he's risen because of his cutting down workouts. I'm not sure how good of a passer he is at PG. No doubt he's the best shooter along with Klay. How good of a PG is he? He could go to Sacramento, Utah or Charlotte. What do you think of Leonard falling or Fredette at PG? 2011 NBA Mock Draft: Will Kawhi Leonard Fall to Warriors at No. 11? http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...-will-kawhi-leonard-fall-to-warriors-at-no-11
Seems like Kawhi is consensus to be a top 6/7 pick and I couldn't see him falling all the way to 11. I was never all that impressed by him but it seemed like from the get go everyone thought he was easily better than the other college wings (Burks, Thompson, Hamilton, Singleton, even Marcus Morris, etc.). Like I said I'm not a huge fan but hes an undeniable talent at 11 so why not? Does a lot of things well, hes a great athlete, and he seems to have potential to grow into a good offensive player. Its interesting that all the W's talk has been about Klay and Biyombo lately. Singleton, meanwhile, is rising and he had a workout with us. Marcus Morris seems like a possibility still if he drops to us. And what happened to Burks? Seems like there's been almost no news about him going anywhere or doing anything good or bad. And I'm intrigued by drafting Freddette in order to trade him. Seems like hes got a cult of NBA teams going after him. I don't think he'll be as good as Steph (but I wasn't a fan of Steph coming out of college either), but I think he'd look good in the right situation. Starting at PG next to Tyreke in Sac. Playing under D'Antoni and alongside Melo and Amare in NY. No one talks about Charlotte but they're ALWAYS in need of star power and impact players and Fredette probably offers more of that than most players at their pick. If Utah takes a big at 4 they could try to get him at 12. It could really backfire if no one offers up anything good but what if we can trade him for a decent bench player and move down a few slots and still draft a Burks, Singleton, Biyombo, Tristan Thompson, etc. in the 12-17 range? By the way this Tobias Harris kid is pretty intriguing to me. 6'7-6'8 223 lb. 18 year old with a lot of skill. Really under control with the ball in his hands and has a great feel for the game. A bit of a tweener as he isn't super explosive (though he did get a pretty solid 37.5 max vert at the combine) but he's very young and will likely put on muscle and ideally shed a bit of baby fat. Not sure what position he'll play long term but I think that he not only played better than a lot of the guys projected where hes is projected to be pick but hes also got way, way, WAY more potential. Overall I've come to like the prospects where we're projected to pick. I think Klay is an NBA player but you'll see his role changing from what it was in college. He reminds me a lot of Kevin Martin in that I think he can get to the rim when the opportunity presents itself but he can't force his way there like a Monta. Obviously hes also a very good shooter not only spotting up but coming off screens, pulling up, you name it he hits them pretty well. Those who say hes not a go-to scorer in the NBA are probably correct but he'd be pretty lethal as a 3rd/4th option. Look at how much damage Dorell Wright did just getting kick out passes from Curry, Monta, and Lee. Klay is a lot more dynamic and lethal offensively. Defense is poor but I think he shows good desire and he looks like he has a good feel for the game. Still think Burks is a better prototype fit alongside Steph/Lee long term. But if they think Klay is clearly better when all is said and done then I'm fine with that. And I'd still be happy with Singleton not to mention Biyombo.
