The Golden State Warriors need to continue adding talent to their roster if they hope to make a return to the playoffs in the coming years. The team has two picks during the first round (7, 30) of the 2012 NBA Draft, and they're expected to take a big man with the first one.
The latest mock draft from Yahoo! Sports and Draft Express has the Warriors taking two guys with very high upside. The first is Ohio State forward Jared Sullinger, who might have been the No. 1 pick this time last year.
Jared Sullinger: PF/C, 20, 6-9, 280, Ohio State, Sophomore
Breaking the draft down into tiers, it's clear there are a few large drop-offs in perceived value. One is between picks one and two. Another is right here. The player who is picked at seven could very well have been drafted at 17 under different circumstances. The Warriors have a large group of about 10 prospects to choose from, and don't have any type of consensus at this point about who they might take. The next week will start to clear that up.
The final pick of the first round, No. 30 overall, is combo-guard Tony Wroten from Washington.
Tony Wroten: PG/SG, 19, 6-5, 180, Washington, Freshman
With four draft picks at their disposal, the Warriors can afford to swing for the fences this late in the first round. Washington freshman Tony Wroten has the size, ball-handling skills and instincts to develop into a real asset down the road. Having a former point guard in head coach Mark Jackson to mentor him could speed up his development. Given Wroten's excellent size, the Warriors could find a way to play him and Stephen Curry together at times.
For as talented as Wroten is, he reportedly has character and teammate issues, and his jump shot is pretty awful. He would be a project, but as the blurb mentions above, Golden State could take a risk on him since they have so many draft picks.
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