Nico Mannion's Draft Scouting Report: Pro Comparison, Updated Warriors Roster
Nico Mannion's journey to the NBA is complete.
The Golden State Warriors selected the Arizona guard with the No. 48 overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft on Wednesday.
Bleacher Report Draft Expert Jonathan Wasserman's Scouting Report
Player: Nico Mannion
Position: PG
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 190 lbs
Pro Comparison: Darius Garland
Scouting Report: Nico Mannion brings a little bit of everything offensively to the point guard position with a well-rounded mix of passing skills and shooting versatility. Questions about whether his limited tools and athleticism will hold him back in the NBA likely cost him on draft night. But Mannion still stands 6'3" and can play above the rim in space. It's worth wondering if a few shooting slumps as a freshman wrongfully led to teams jumping off the wagon.
Here is a look at how he fits into his new team's roster:
Klay Thompson, SG: $38M (2024)
Draymond Green, PF: $24.9M (2024)
Andrew Wiggins, SF: $29.5M (2023)
Alen Smailagic, PF: $1.5M (2023)
Jordan Poole, SG: $2M (2023)
Stephen Curry, PG: $40.2M (2022)
Kevon Looney, C: $4.8M (2022)
Damion Lee, G: $1.5M (2022)
Eric Paschall, PF: $1.4M (2022)
Ky Bowman, SG: $1.2M (2022)
Mychal Mulder, G: $1.2M (2022)
Marquese Chriss, PF: $1.2M (2021)
James Wiseman, C: Rookie scale contract (2024)
Nico Mannion, PG: Rookie scale contract (2024)
Juan Toscano-Anderson: RFA
Mannion was well-known before his collegiate career even started and was a highly regarded 5-star prospect and the No. 1 point guard in the 2019 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.
He was selected to the Pac-12 All-Freshman and All-Pac 12 second team in his one season with the Wildcats behind 14.0 points, 5.3 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. There are some shooting concerns, though, after he connected on just 39.2 percent of his field-goal attempts and 32.7 percent of his three-pointers.
Still, the 19-year-old has more shooting performances than just his one collegiate season to fall back on as he heads to the next level.
Jonathan Givony of ESPN noted Mannion has dual citizenship since he was born in Italy and played for the country's national team at the U16 European Championship and in FIBA World Cup qualifying in 2018.
"My international experience will be a big plus," Mannion said. "Having played international ball at the U16s and against pros with the men's team. I think I proved that I belonged at the Hoop Summit, that I'm one of the best pure point guards in this draft. People saw prior to college that I can really shoot the ball, even if I didn't shoot as well as I can this season at Arizona."
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected him as the No. 22 overall pick in a May mock draft and suggested "there is enough skill tied to his shot-making versatility and passing" to make up for a lack of explosiveness when handling the ball or as a slasher.
Mannion will need to make strides with his shooting stroke and have enough quickness to stay in front of opposing guards on the defensive side, but he has the overall skill set to develop into a contributor for his new team's backcourt.
