NBA Draft 2011: Possible Picks for the Golden State Warriors

As the 2011 NBA Draft  approaches, it is difficult to put a finger on who exactly the Golden State Warriors will choose come June 23.

Will the Warriors draft an American or go overseas? Will they trade up or stay put?

These daunting questions will not be answered until David Stern announces the 11th pick, but the Warriors are currently having individual workouts and will continue to do so until a clear draftee has been chosen.

Golden State needs to add depth and an interior presence; drafting a player who can rebound and protect the paint is the type of guy the Warriors will try to snatch. If Golden State picks up a big man through free agency, though, look for the Warriors to draft the best player available, regardless of his position.

Let’s look at a few of the Dubs' possible candidates.

Klay Thompson, Washington State

Klay Thompson is simply one of the best shooters in this year's draft class. With his commitment to getting himself open and working off the ball, this guy will most certainly be a decent—if not great—scorer at the pro level.

Another top attribute of Thompson is his strength and size. Standing at 6'6" and 205 pounds, he has the ideal body of a NBA shooting guard. Thompson can utilize his left hand effectively and applies the use of a pump fake to get open shots.

He also has a nice basketball IQ with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio.

Although the Washington State shooting guard is a perfect fit for the NBA in terms of size, he is still a below-average athlete. In addition, Thompson is not good in the open court and finds it difficult to create his own shot off the dribble. His footwork will need improvement if he looks to play against some of the elite shooting guards the NBA has to offer.

Also keep in mind, Thompson received a one-game suspension for a marijuana charge.

Bismack Biyombo, Congo

There are some mixed emotions about Biyombo.

He is a 6'9" center with a tremendous wingspan and is a lottery-pick candidate because of his hustle, defense and blocking specialty.

As for rebounding, the guy seems to have no problem getting scrappy.

Now here is what decreases his stock greatly: Biyombo has nowhere close to a NBA-ready offensive game.

He is lacking both footwork and overall awareness on the court, and other areas needing improvement are his shooting and passing. Bismack is a below-average free-throw shooter and does not have a great jump shot. His passing is not terrible, but not the status of a big man like David Lee, per se.

An additional part of Biyombo's game needing refinement is his overall offensive awareness; his fundamentals and self-discipline need to develop. During the European workout, Biyombo chose to opt out of the scrimmages for various one-on-none drills. Most of these drills focused on his perimeter game—not a strong point for Biyombo. Missing nearly 75 percent of his shots, the big man's stock might have taken a big hit.

One European scout present at the workout said: "He played one-on-none and lost."

Jonas Valanciunas, Lithuania

The Lithuanian big man has great size and rebounding skills. Jonas runs the floor nicely for a center, and gets a nice amount of tip-ins and offensive rebounds due to his aggressiveness when attacking the basket.

Valanciunas also thrives in free-throw shooting. He has a nice-looking form and can make an occasional jump shot. It seems as if Valanciunas is extremely efficient on the offensive end; he had a 70-percent field-goal percentage in the European league.

With that being said, though, he cannot create his own offense yet.

Valanciunas can finish, but he needs the help of teammates to set him up. He is a poor passer and is not great at creating offense anywhere other than in the paint. Like Andris Biedrins, Valanciunas gets into foul trouble quickly, which may drop his stock in the Warriors' eyes.

He also has a $3 million buyout, meaning he is unlikely to come to the NBA for a few years.

Alec Burks, Colorado

Alec Burks certainly has the NBA-ready length with a 6'6" structure and a 6'10" wingspan; he seems to be a dream fit for the two spot.

Burks can also play the point guard role very effectively because he is an advanced ball-handler and has the ability to finish in traffic with either hand. In terms of rebounding, Burks' aggressiveness and anticipation on the glass get him a tremendous 6.5 rebounds per game.

Other pros of Burks' game are his length and athleticism. This will make it much easier for him to defend and stay in front of his man at the next level.

Even though his strengths are great, there is a whole lot Burks will need to work on.

For starters, he needs to add weight to his 192-lb frame; otherwise, he will be pushed around too easily with such a small body.

Another weakness in Burks' game is his three-point shooting; he shot only 29 percent from beyond the arc this past year. He also has trouble guarding smaller guards and needs to improve his footwork and speed to stay in front of them.

The role of a shooting guard in the NBA is pretty self explanatory: You need someone who can flat-out shoot the ball. Burks needs to improve in this area, as his mid-range and long-range shots are extremely inconsistent.