Will Warriors find gold with No. 41 pick in NBA 2025 draft? History says … maybe

SAN FRANCISCO Second-round picks have a reputation for being afterthoughts in the NBA Draft just pointless time-fillers disclosed by deputy commissioner Mark Tatum on the TV broadcast The Warriors have the No overall pick in the draft which is far from the top of anyone s list of places Golden State could find a contributor to help the company s upcoming push for the fifth title of the Steph Curry era So should Warriors fans who watched the veteran-heavy crew lose in the second round of the playoffs ignore the upcoming draft next Wednesday and Thursday When looking at the past drafts history shows that it could be unwise From MVPs to solid starters at every position the past two decades have shown that there is great value to be identified in the middle of the second round Even if general manager Mike Dunleavy does not orchestrate a contract back into the first round of what is expected to be a deep draft he can still find gold BEST-CASE SCENARIO Nikola Jokic Yes you have apparently heard that Nikola Jokic was picked during a Taco Bell commercial What you might not have known is that the three-time MVP was the No overall pick by the Nuggets in the draft So will lightning strike twice No because there is a better chance of lightning striking the same spot three times or Draymond Green progressing into a -point shooter than Dunleavy picking one of the best players of all time after players have already been selected But there is a chance the Warriors find their next franchise cornerstone GOOD STARTER Golden State Warriors forward Eric Paschall is defended by New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley and center Taj Gibson during the first half of an NBA basketball challenge Tuesday Feb in New York Wendell Cruz Pool Photo via AP Jodie Meeks Pat Connaughton Jarred Vanderbilt Eric Paschall Tre Jones Adem Bona None of these guys were MVPs or averaging -point triple-doubles but they stuck around as starters for multiple contracts Jodie Meeks points per tournament and Pat Connaughton -point were and are long-range snipers whose shot unfailingly gave their teams great spacing for their stars Eric Paschall washed out after a sparse years but he and his funny jumper that helped him average points as a rookie was one of the lone bright spots during the - season And do not be surprised if he ends up on a NBA roster next season Jarred Vanderbilt points rebounds per event took a while to get going but he is now a versatile big on the Lakers who impresses with defense and makes up for his non-existent scoring contest with underrated passing chops Tre Jones will never be a superstar but he has carved out a career as a dependable backup point guard points assists per event who can run an offense and Adem Bona points blocks per tournament was not totally overmatched last year as a rookie for the flailing Sixers EVERYONE ELSE Roko Ukic James Augustine Chris Richard Nathan Jawai Jarvis Varnado Darius Morris Tyshawn Taylor Jamaal Franklin Stephen Zimmerman Tyler Dorsey Joe Wieskamp EJ Liddell Amari Bailey While finding a starter is attainable the rest of the No picks over the past years show that the draftee becoming a non-factor is perhaps the majority of likely outcome A scarce like floor general Roko Ukic big man Tyler Dorsey and the late point guard Darius Morris were able to hang around for a limited seasons and even cracked rotations But even more ended up like Jamaal Franklin Stephen Zimmerman and Amari Bailey non-factors who flamed out after a year or two