Five guard, forward fits for Warriors at pick No. 41 in 2025 NBA Draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
More than a month has passed since the Warriors’ season ended in the second round of the NBA playoffs. A week later, they already began hosting players at Chase Center on their practice court for pre-draft workouts.
The Warriors mainly have studied older players with an abundance of college experience for their second-round pick at No. 41 overall. There’s always more to the year-long process behind closed doors. The way the draft has been affected by the changing landscape of college basketball with NIL, though, it would be a major surprise if a player younger than even 22 years old was drafted by the Warriors.
Trayce Jackson-Davis (No. 57 overall) was 23, and turning 24 in February, when the Warriors drafted him in the second round of the 2023 draft. Quinten Post (No. 52 overall) was even older at 24, and turning 25 in March, last year as the Warriors’ second-round pick.
Hearing a teenager have his name called when the Warriors are on the clock is highly, highly unlikely if they keep the pick and use it. A cheap player that can contribute as a rookie is of major value for a team like the Warriors.
“It does lend itself to the older guys generally can play sooner than later,” Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy admitted Monday at Chase Center.
The chaos of the NBA offseason already knocked down the door and has made itself at home. Now that it’s time for the draft to be part of the headlines for two days, here are the five best fits for the Warriors with the 41st pick in the draft.
Sion James, Wing, Duke
He’s the one singular prospect that I wrote about as being the perfect fit for the Warriors, and it will take some serious convincing to change my mind.
James played four seasons at Tulane, then transferred to Duke as the exact player needed around their trio of freshmen players primed for the top 10 in the draft. Dunleavy laid out the formula Monday of needing defense – point of attack plus rim protectors – and players who can space the floor. James has the size and physicality to jump into an NBA game right now, and he’s only improved as a shooter every season in college.
An easy comparison is Lu Dort with a lot more college experience. They’re both built like football players who were handed a basketball as a joke just to laugh in everybody else’s face. Dort is listed at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, was named to the All-Defensive First Team and shot 41.2 percent from three for the champion Oklahoma City Thunder this season after shooting 23.7 percent as a rookie.
At 22 years old, 23 in December, James played 153 college games. He measured in at the combine at 6-foot-4 1/2 and 217 pounds, was voted to the ACC’s All-Defense Team this season, and after shooting 28 percent from three as a freshman, James was a 41.3 percent 3-point shooter in his one year at Duke.
Koby Brea, SG/Wing, Kentucky
Shooting and scoring dropped off a cliff to end the Warriors’ season with an injured Steph Curry. Adding perhaps the draft’s best pure shooter, outside of Kon Knueppel, could be a good start in fixing that problem.
Brea doesn’t project to be a two-way player like Klay Thompson was. His athleticism doesn’t jump out, even on highlights. But damn can he shoot it.
He also has ideal size on the wing as a shooting guard or small forward at 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds. Like James, Brea was a five-year player in college. Also like James, his age shouldn’t be a negative for someone who will be 23 in November. This is a smart player who will know how to play his role, and not step outside of it.
The marksman shot 43.4 percent on threes in his college career, including making 46.5 percent of his threes the past two seasons while putting up six a game.
Micah Peavy, Wing, Georgetown
Peavy is the type of player that would fit a long list of second-round picks that had lasting, solid, impactful careers in the NBA. He’s the glue guy every team wants.
That was obvious with Peavy’s performance in his first scrimmage at the combine. His team lost by three, yet Peavy was a game-high plus-20 in 23 minutes. Peavy, who turns 24 on July 16, is a versatile wing at 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds with the feel and skills to be part of a rotation. The big question is if his 3-point shot was a one-hit wonder.
After four years in college, one at Texas Tech and three at TCU, Peavy shot 26.7 percent from three. Year by year, he also became a more willing shooter from deep. Then in his fifth college season, Peavy transferred to Georgetown and averaged 17.2 points, put up over four threes a game and made 40 percent of them.
Chaz Lanier, G/Wing, Tennessee
The first three years of Lanier’s college career didn’t amount to numbers of someone who would be on any draft boards. Lanier averaged just 4.2 points per game in that span at Florida Atlantic, and then his breakout came in Year 4. Finally fully entrenched in the starting lineup, was All-A-Sun First Team in 2023-24, averaging 19.7 points while shooting 51 percent from the field, 44 percent from three and 88 percent at the free-throw line.
Lanier then joined Tennessee for his fifth and final college season, where that same offensive firepower followed him to the Vols. The 23-year-old who will turn 24 in December led Tennessee to the Elite Eight by averaging 18 points per game and shooting 39.5 percent beyond the arc. Lanier in his final two college seasons shot 41.5 percent from long distance while taking essentially eight threes per game.
There are some defensive questions when it comes to Lanier for a player listed at 6-foot-4. But he rarely came off the floor for one of the top defenses in college basketball, and his 6-foot-9 wingspan and 39-inch max vertical leap gives him the traits that can produce a competent defensive player.
Alijah Martin, G, Florida
Guards Kam Jones and Tamar Bates were both considerations here. In the end, it came down to two players: Martin, or Kentucky big man Amari Williams.
The Warriors worked out both players, who are 10 inches apart. Williams would be the second straight 7-footer Dunleavy picked in the second round. However, he’s a much different player than Post.
As seen throughout his rookie year, Post is a stretch-five but has work to do defensively and around the rim, and likely will never be a plus athlete. Williams is not a shooter. He’s a massive shot-blocker and strong rebounder. Most importantly for Steve Kerr, Williams is a really strong player out of the middle.
Center, as always, will be an incredibly interesting position to watch for the Warriors. They don’t want Draymond Green to start there, but he still will have minutes at center when necessary. They’re high on Post, and like a lot of what Jackson-Davis brings. Kevon Looney still could come back on a veteran minimum, and the Warriors will be active eyeing bigs through other avenues as well.
So instead, Martin is the pick. He’s only 6-foot-2, but plays way bigger with his 6-foot-8 wingspan. Jerry Stackhouse would be begging Kerr to unleash this Pitbull. Martin is a high-energy super-athlete who was a huge reason why Florida won it all this year.
After four years at Florida Atlantic where Martin twice was All-CUSA, as well as the 2023 CUSA Tournament MVP, he averaged 14.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game as a fifth-year senior. Martin turns 24 in December, can be in the Gary Payton II role for the Warriors long term, and might offer more offense.
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