The Golden State Warriors have a fantastic opportunity to add a potentially ready-made talent to Steve Kerr’s rotation on draft night. Armed with the 11th overall pick, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Joe Lacob won’t be short of options to try to improve the current squad. When looking at this year’s draft class and taking stock of what Golden State needs to improve, the need for a long-term big man becomes abundantly clear.
Should Golden State decide to go down the route of drafting a center, Aday Mara would likely be the best fit for the franchise. In fact, Jeremy Woo of ESPN recently predicted that Mara will land with the Warriors when sharing his latest mock draft.
“Mara is expected to be the first center off the board and appears slated for the 8-to-12 range. There is strong interest in him, with Atlanta, Dallas, Golden State and Oklahoma City among the teams noted, and he could ultimately be a player teams trade up to acquire,” Woo wrote. “…Rival teams believe the Warriors are after a player who can contribute to the rotation next season — as they work to maximize their chances in the final stretch of Stephen Curry’s career — but will take a best-available positional approach.”
Mara, a three-year collegiate talent, was a force for the Michigan Wolverines this past season. In 40 games, he averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.6 blocks per game, shooting 66.8% from the field and 56.4% from three-point range. He would instantly slot into the Warriors’ rotation, plugging a genuine hole in the roster while offering long-term upside.
Golden State may look elsewhere on draft night, but from the outside looking in, Mara makes perfect sense for the Warriors, both for now and years into the future.
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This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Warriors’ take 7-foot-3 big man in latest mock draft
Reporting by Adam Taylor, Warriors Wire / Warriors Wire
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By Adam Taylor, Warriors Wire | USA TODAY Network
