The Golden State Warriors are hanging around the NBA Draft lottery with their recent losing spell. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green clearly aspire to winning basketball, but it's unclear if the roster can actually sustain winning as it's currently constructed.
Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office are running out of time to maximize what is left of Steph's career. The Warriors are still trotting out an all-time great offensive weapon every night, but unless serious upgrades are made, Curry may end up spending his last few seasons stuck in no-man's land. The Dubs aren't bad enough to earnestly tank, but clearly don't have the juice to contend with the new-age heavyweights, such as OKC or Boston.
That leads us to FanSided's latest NBA mock draft, which saw Golden State selecting 14th overall. There's a good chance Golden State won't find its savior in the late lottery, but the right pick could yield an immediate impact contributor.
Enter Michigan State freshman Jase Richardson.
The 19-year-old has been relegated to a bench role out of the gate on Tom Izzo's squad, but Richardson has been remarkably efficient in all aspects of the game. He could slot comfortably into a bench role for Golden State out of the gate.
If the name sounds familiar, you're onto something. Richardson is the son of former Warriors fan favorite Jason Richardson, who spent six years in the Bay in the early 2000s.
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Warriors mock draft plants Michigan State's Jase Richardson in Golden State backcourt
This is more than a sentimental pick for Golden State, although watching Jason Richardson's son come up in the Bay would be a treat for all hoopheads. Jase has made the most of limited touches for the Spartans, emerging as one of the most polished and well-rounded offensive contributors in a deep class. One has to imagine his role will expand as the season progresses, which could allow Richardson to showcase even more aspects of his game.
Through 12 appearances, Richardson is averaging 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on .636/.545/.846 splits in 21.3 minutes. Those shooting numbers are bound to regress, especially if his usage ever spikes, but Richardson has operated with remarkable precision on the offensive end.
It's really hard to poke holes in his output so far, aside from volume concerns. Richardson has scaled up on occasion, though — he's actually more efficient when his usage rate spikes above 15 percent this season — so even those worries seem misplaced. He is not the primary on-ball engine for Michigan State, but Richardson looks more than comfortable setting the table. He's limiting turnovers (3.3 assist-to-turnover ratio), whipping pinpoint passes off drives to the cup, and consistently locating pressure points in the defense.
While not an elite athlete at 6-foot-3, Richardson shows nice burst getting down the lane and a compelling blend of touch and creativity on finishes around the basket. He can extend at odd angles and drop high-arcing floaters over a contest. The 3-point volume isn't great (3.4 attempts per 40 minutes), but the mechanics are crisp and it's impossible to complain about 54.5 percent. He possesses an especially quick trigger off the catch, which speaks to his scalability and comfort off the ball, which is essential for somebody trying to fit next to Steph in a Steve Kerr offense.
Richardson looks the part of a day-one NBA player. We need to see how the rest of the campaign plays out in East Lansing, of course, but the early signs are positive. The family connection to Golden State is gravy.