NBA Draft Lottery 2024: Warriors Put Their Faith on 21YO Star to Save Steph Curry’s Legacy

The Golden State Warriors are a franchise in flux. After years of dominating the NBA, the Dubs have been uncharacteristically subpar in recent seasons. This season was no different, as they finished the regular season in the 10th spot. As a result, the Sacramento Kings booted them out of the play-in tournament, which meant that the Warriors would miss the postseason for the second time in the last four seasons.

However, there’s a silver lining for the Golden State Warriors. Finishing as the 10th seed in the Western Conference gives them a 0.7% chance of landing the first pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. However, if their pick falls outside the top 4, it will go to the Portland Trail Blazers. Therefore, the Warriors are really banking on some luck to keep their pick. And it looks like they are pinning their hopes on 21-year-old rookie, Brandin Podziemski, who is believed to make the Rookie All-Star team, during the Draft Lottery.

According to reports from Jason Dumas, “Brandin Podziemski will be representing the Warriors at Sunday’s NBA Draft Lottery.” The 2024 Draft Lottery will take place in Chicago on Sunday, 12th May (3 PM Eastern Time). Both the Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards have around a 14% chance to clinch the 1st pick in this year’s draft. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors have the 2nd lowest odds (0.8%) and the lowest (0.7%) odds, respectively, to grab the 1st pick.

It’s safe to suggest that the 1st pick wouldn’t go to the Kings or the Warriors, as no team has ever won the draft lottery with odds below 1.5%. The biggest draft lottery miracle happened in 1993 when the Orlando Magic won the lottery despite having 1.52% odds. However, unlike last year’s draft, the 2024 Draft doesn’t have a consensus No. 1 pick, with Alexandre Sarr, Nikola Topic, and Zaccharie Risacher, all in the running.

Could the 2024 draft prospects extend the Golden State Warriors dynasty?

The Golden State Warriors are evidently not as good as they used to be. Other than Stephen Curry, every key Warrior had a down year. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, in particular, were nowhere near their best. As a result, youngsters like Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Moses Moody had to step up. This could be considered a sole silver lining in a dull and disappointing season for the Warriors.

Now, the Dubs would look to add more youthful energy from the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft. They have a 3.4% chance of landing a Top-4 pick. If they do manage to keep hold of their first-round pick, experts believe the Dubs might look to draft Kentucky Wildcats’ Reed Shepherd. The 19-year-old point guard managed to average 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game in his freshman season.

Although drafting a potential superstar is exciting, the Golden State Warriors will more than likely trade their first-round pick if they manage to retain it. Drafting another youngster isn’t feasible, as the Dubs’ hierarchy would want to extend the Warriors dynasty and provide Stephen Curry with the best opportunity to win his 5th ring. What are your thoughts? Should the Warriors trade their pick or draft another young talent?