They’re coming back.
One season after making the NBA Finals, the Warriors secured the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 Draft in Thursday’s lottery, adding to an already impressive roster that includes two-time MVP Stephen Curry, former defensive player of the year Draymond Green and sharpshooter Klay Thompson.
With Curry (five games) and Thompson (zero games) non-factors this season because of injuries, the Warriors stumbled to a league-worst 15-50 record in the shortened season.
Now, Golden State will have the chance to add an instant contributor to a team that won 57 games a year ago.
The Warriors’ luck is akin to the flukey 1996-97 Spurs season that saw San Antonio win just 20 games. The season before, the Spurs went 59-23; a year later, they selected future two-time MVP Tim Duncan with the first overall pick and were back to contending.
The Warriors are eyeing Georgia’s Anthony Edwards with their pick, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. If Edwards goes first, Golden State will reportedly turn its attention to Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton, Auburn’s Isaac Okoro, Israel’s Deni Avdija and others.
Golden State also holds the No. 48 and 51 picks in the draft, which will be held on October 16. From 2015-2019, the Warriors won three NBA titles and appeared in the Finals five years in a consecutively.