Some might call it luck, others might call it fate. Basketball’s greatest love story happened nearly 11 years ago in the most unexpected way.
The beauty of a cheesy quesadilla met the warmth of a beefy burrito, to of course, create Taco Bell’s perfect quesarito marriage, as aired on ESPN’s coverage of the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft.
And in that moment, without even knowing it, Denver Nuggets fans quietly were introduced to Nikola Jokić. Not through highlight packages and analysts breaking down how he’ll forever change the franchise. But at the bottom of the scroll, listed as a power from Serbia who was taken with the No. 41 overall pick.
The Warriors have a history of their own with the pick, and now own it themselves again in this year’s draft, which begins with the first round on June 25. They’d need Chris Paul to play Cliff Paul in a new State Farm commercial, Taco Bell to get a new way to “Live Más” and a Toyota commercial highlighted by an inflatable giant pink Pegasus to follow for everything to align right and pull off the miracle of finding the next Jokić at 41.
It isn’t happening. The Warriors have their own future Hall of Fame second-round pick in Draymond Green. Jokic is the ultimate outlier.
There have been two players to go from being a second-round pick to winning MVP. Willis Reed did it first in 1970, and Jokic won the award three times. He already has six top-five finishes in his first 10 years in the league.
When Reed was a second-round pick in 1964, there were a total of nine teams. Reed was the 10th overall pick.
As the scroll showed during his draft announcement, Jokic averaged 11.3 points and 6.3 rebounds over 25 games in 2013-14 while playing in the Adriatic League. His scouting report was full of negatives centered on his body and lack of athleticism. Jokic was a draft-and-stash prospect who again spent the 2014-15 season in Serbia, where his stats increased to 16.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game as a 32.6-percent 3-point shooter.
Mike Dunleavy only has selected college players since becoming the Warriors’ general manager ahead of the 2023 draft. He did make an interesting addition when the Warriors signed Taran Armstrong out of Australia’s NBL to a two-way contract in late February. Armstrong showed promise and is part of the Warriors’ summer league plans. The Warriors could look internationally in the draft, including grabbing more talent from Australia.
Alex Toohey has played two professional seasons in the NBL, would bring size on the wing the Warriors desire at 6-foot-8 and is 21 years old. If the Warriors really want to get big like the fan base always begs for, they could entertain the idea of 7-foot-3 center Rocco Zikarsky of the Brisbane Bullets. China’s Hansen Yang, 7-foot-2, might be intriguing too.
Yang turns 20 on the day of the second round, and Zikarsky will be 19 in July.
But even if (when) the Warriors don’t draft the next Jokić this year, there’s still talent and value if they keep their pick where it’s at.
The second-best player taken with the 41st pick by win shares is Cuttino Mobley, a certified bucket in the league for a decade before his career ended to a heart condition. As real bucket-getters do, Mobley still is getting it done in the Big3. Mobley made All-Rookie Second Team as a second-round pick, finished second in Sixth Man of the Year his second season and averaged 16 points per game in an 11-year career.
Those are numbers and accolades the Warriors sure would take from their draft pick this year. There are more recent examples that also can excite them.
Are players like Willie Green (2003), Jodie Meeks (2009), Pat Connaughton (2015), Jarred Vanderbilt (2018) and Tre Jones (2020) perfect? Of course not. But they all have carved out productive careers. If the Warriors come out of the draft with a Green, Meeks, Connaughton, Vanderbilt or Jones at No. 41, their scouting department and front office should be applauded.
Dunleavy, in the last two drafts, brought in second-round picks that were both taken much later than No. 41, and outperformed expectations. The quesarito has been discontinued, sadly, meaning there will never be another draft story quite like Jokić’s. Another Dunleavy success story, though, shouldn’t be out of the question.
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