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Warriors Rumors: Rounding Up Top Buzz Entering 2020 NBA Draft Lottery
August 20, 2020
The Golden State Warriors will find out where they land in the 2020 NBA draft order Thursday.
If reports are to be believed, they'll hope it's in a place to land Anthony Edwards.
Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle reported the Warriors believe Edwards can develop into a "face of the franchise" level talent.
The Georgia product is widely viewed as the likeliest candidate to be the first pick in October's draft. While some players, including LaMelo Ball, appear to have a higher ceiling, Edwards has both All-Star potential and a seemingly high floor.
Edwards is an explosive 2 guard who is a little undersized in terms of height (6'3") but makes up for it with his length, similar to Utah Jazz's Donovan Mitchell. He can play on or off the ball, though he's most dangerous when attacking the rim off the dribble.
The fit next to Klay Thompson and Steph Curry would be a little awkward, but they were already going to attempt to make it work with D'Angelo Russell. The Warriors would likely use Edwards in a microwave scorer role off the bench—a spot he's perfectly suited for as he rounds out his game.
"Who wouldn't love to play with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green?" Edwards told Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks on her Take It There show. "They could make me better at all times. So, yeah, I'd love to play with them."
If the Warriors don't land at the top spot, they may take a long look at Israeli swingman Deni Avdija, potentially the top international player in this class. Avdija is somewhat of a natural successor to Green in offensive sets, a big natural playmaker in both the open and halfcourt. He projects as a better open-court creator than Green, who does most of his work in the halfcourt.
If the Warriors wind up in the top three, the overwhelming odds are one of those two players will be picked by the team.