Five first-round draft picks that could worry Warriors in West

The first day of the 2024 NBA Draft’s new two-day format has come and gone, and several Western Conference teams made smart selections while the Warriors were spectators.

In a draft that isn’t considered to have star-level talent, there still are plenty of players who should find success at the next level. And a handful of them landed on teams the Warriors play quite often. It didn’t take long for conference opponents to improve in a hurry. 

The Warriors for the first time since 2017 did not have a first-round pick. Unless they trade up, the Warriors will have to wait until the No. 52 overall pick to be on the clock Thursday. General manager Mike Dunleavy and the rest of Golden State’s front office still, of course, remained locked in on what maneuvers the Warriors’ competition were able to pull off. 

Here are five first-round picks that the Warriors likely took note of, with a handful of others in consideration.

Reed Sheppard, No. 3, Houston Rockets

The best shooter in the draft is headed to Houston. Sheppard has enjoyed a meteoric rise because of his elite ability to get hot from deep. In his one year at Kentucky, Sheppard shot 52.1 percent behind the 3-point line on 4.4 attempts per game.

That’s a skill the Rockets desperately need to improve. They shot 35.2 percent on threes last season, which ranked 21st in the NBA. 

Sheppard also showed out at the draft combine where the 6-foot-2 guard proved to be one of the best athletes in the draft class. Ime Udoka and the Rockets want to compete soon. The Rockets don’t expect to be drafting this high again in the near future. They finished 41-41 last season, and are doing what they can to fast forward their rebuild. 

Adding Sheppard, whose parents both have strong basketball bloodlines, is a great start for Houston.

Donovan Clingan, No. 7, Portland Trail Blazers

Will the Blazers suddenly rise up the standings in the West next season? It’s unlikely, but the extremely young team is building a group that soon can be a problem. 

After already adding Deni Avdija from the Washington Wizards in a trade Wednesday that involved the Warriors’ original 2024 first-round pick, the Blazers got their guy in the first round of the draft. They liked Clingan after UConn’s 2023 championship, and reportedly love him now after the big man anchored back-to-back titles. 

The 7-foot-2 center put together an historic résumé in two college seasons. Clingan’s defense should translate to the pros right away. The Blazers could now be shopping one of Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams, or both, but bringing in Clingan clearly is worth it to them. 

Clingan might have been the safest and surest pick in the draft, and the Warriors now will see him four times every season going forward.

Rob Dillingham, No. 8, Minnesota Timberwolves 

Dillingham would have been so, so, so much fun to watch play with Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio. Instead, Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards has a new running mate. 

The Spurs sent Dillingham, the No. 8 pick, to the Timberwolves for two future picks. Though he’s undersized at 6-foot-1 and 164 pounds, Dillingham is a dynamic offensive weapon who can score in a multitude of ways and wow you with his ballhandling. He shot 44.4 percent on 3-pointers as a freshman at Kentucky and made 49.5 percent of his 2-pointers. 

As an instant scorer off the bench, Dillingham was named the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year. Even if that’s his best avenue forward in the pros, Dillingham could show shades of Lou Williams. The Timberwolves were on the brink of making the NBA Finals and just added another weapon teams might quickly fear. 

Devin Carter, No. 13, Sacramento Kings 

Mike Brown must be a very happy head coach right now. Brown began the month with a pay raise that extended him through the 2026-27 season. Nearly four weeks later, general manager Monte McNair gave Brown a player the former Warriors assistant should be a big fan of. 

Carter made a major leap as a shooter last season, making 37.7 percent of his 3-pointers on 6.8 attempts per game. He made 51 threes between his first two college seasons, then broke out for 84 threes this past season at Providence. The 2023-24 Big East Player of the Year is much more than a scorer, too. 

At only 6-foot-3 but with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, Carter attacks the glass and grabbed 8.7 rebounds per game this past season as a junior. Carter’s first calling card might be defense, where his competitiveness was on display against top competition. Golden State’s growing rivalry up north just became even more interesting thanks to a win-now rookie joining the Kings.

Dalton Knecht, No. 17, Los Angeles Lakers

Jay Bilas on ESPN’s broadcast called Knecht the “Roy Hobbs of the draft,” comparing the newest Laker to the lead character of “The Natural” for coming out of nowhere to become a first-round pick. And he’s not wrong. 

Knecht spent his first two years at Northeastern Junior College before then playing two seasons at Northern Colorado and transferring to Tennessee for his fifth and final year of college. The jump in competition level wasn’t a problem for the 6-foot-5 wing. Knecht, the SEC Player of the Year, averaged 21.7 points and shot 39.7 percent as a constant 3-point threat. 

It’s easy to see new Lakers coach JJ Redick finding ways to use Knecht’s skill set to his advantage early on. The Warriors allowed the sixth-most 3-point attempts per game last season, and opponents made 13.3 threes per game against them – the eighth-highest clip in the league. 

If Sheppard is the draft’s best shooter, Knecht isn’t far behind.

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