The Golden State Warriors have been the premier franchise of the NBA over the last eight seasons.
They have made the NBA Finals six times, won four NBA Championships and made fantastic roster moves.
However, they made one big mistake during the 2020 NBA Draft that doesn’t matter right now but a few years down the road, could have a significant impact.
The Warriors were coming off a horrendous season where they went 15-50 and dealt with injuries to Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
Therefore, they landed the second-overall pick in the draft.
The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Anthony Edwards out of Georgia, and the Warriors went with James Wiseman.
Following the selection of Wiseman, the Charlotte Hornets drafted LaMelo Ball.
During the 2020-21 season, the Warriors got Curry back (but they remained without Thompson) and went 39-33.
However, they lost in the play-in tournament and did not make the NBA Playoffs.
Wiseman played in 39 games and averaged a solid 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest on 51.9% shooting from the field.
His season was cut short due to a meniscus injury.
The next season, Wiseman did not play in an NBA game as he was still healing (he played briefly in the G League).
Yet, without him, the Warriors returned to the NBA Playoffs and won the 2022 NBA Championship over the Boston Celtics.
This season, he is now healthy, and before the Warriors played the Nets on Monday night, he averaged 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds on 56.5% shooting from the field in 15 NBA games for the Warriors.
In addition, he has also had multiple stints in the G League and has averaged an impressive 18.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per contest on 68.4% shooting from the field in ten games for the Santa Cruz Warriors.
While Wiseman is still only 21 years old, he does not look like he is going to be a superstar in the NBA.
Meanwhile, Ball, who the Hornets selected, was an All-Star last season.
He averaged 20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.6 steals per contest, and he looks like he is on the verge of superstardom.
He has dealt with injuries this season but has played in seven games and is averaging 23.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists per contest on 45.7% shooting from the field and 40.3% from the three-point range.
The two players are very clearly on different levels in the NBA.
Right now, the Warriors still have Curry, Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins.
They will be a contender as long as those four players on the roster.
That being said, Curry (34), Thompson (32) and Green (32) won’t be in their prime forever.
By having a down season in the middle of their dynasty, the Warriors had a unique chance to get a franchise-changing player for the future while still having a championship roster.
The impact of the decision to select Wiseman won’t truly be felt for many more years.
So far, it appears as if they completely missed out on an unbelievable opportunity.
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