The 2011 NBA Draft is underway and the Golden State Warriors selected Washington State shooting guard Klay Thompson with the 11th overall pick. The 21-year old scoring guard put up 21.6 points, grabbed 5.2 rebounds per game and dished out 3.7 assists per game, all while earning an All-Pac 10 nod. It's worth noting that he is the son of former NBA player Mychael Thompson who spent most of his career in Portland, but also played for the Spurs and Lakers towards the end.
Jay Bilas discussed Thompson after the pick and described him as easy to play with and a willing passer. Given the shooting tendencies of Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, it's nice to know they'll have a passer amongst their guards. Of course, at 6-7 maybe he ends up battling Dorell Wright for small forward playing time? If the Warriors don't deal away Ellis or Curry I've got to assume Thompson will be moving around a bit.
ESPN's NBA scouts put together a breakdown of his positives and negatives as follows:
Positives
- One of the best shooters in the game
- Deep range on his jumper
- High basketball IQ
- Can handle the ball
- Excellent passer
- Terrific free throw shooter
Negatives
- Lacks elite explosive athleticism
- Needs to add strength
- Needs to improve ball handling
- Struggles in conference play
We'll be here covering the Warriors work in the 2011 NBA Draft. For more detailed discussion, head over to Golden State of Mind for your Warriors discussion.