{"id":2814,"date":"2026-06-22T21:09:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T21:09:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814"},"modified":"2026-06-22T21:09:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T21:09:22","slug":"kurtenbach-my-official-warriors-draft-guide-get-weird-mike-dunleavy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814","title":{"rendered":"Kurtenbach: My official Warriors draft guide? Get weird, Mike Dunleavy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>This is usually the column where I pretend I\u2019ve unlocked the secrets of the sporting universe.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2812\">Messi sets World Cup scoring record as defending champion Argentina advances to knockout stage<\/a><\/p>\n<p>An annual tradition where, after countless hours of grinding the tape and texting with a dozen people who watch all of college basketball (and not just the Missouri Tigers, which have almost no application here), I proffer a suggestion as to who the Golden State Warriors should draft on Tuesday \u2014 this year at No. 11.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a tedious exercise in feigned certainty. Every pundit on the internet is currently screaming about wingspans and pick-and-roll efficiency.<\/p>\n<p>But this year, I have a new suggestion for the Dubs: Go to town.<\/p>\n<p>Take whoever you want. Get weird with it, even.<\/p>\n<p>Because I can\u2019t differentiate much of anything between the half-dozen, hell, dozen prospects that are in the Dubs\u2019 range to select at No. 11.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a glorious, chaotic spot to occupy. The pressure of landing a generational franchise savior doesn\u2019t exist because those guys are long gone.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, you\u2019re shopping in the NBA\u2019s discount aisle of future potential. It\u2019s a crapshoot dressed up as science.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>You want to take a point guard like Arizona\u2019s Brayden Burries, Alabama\u2019s Labaron Philon, or Houston\u2019s Kingston Flemings? Go for it.<\/p>\n<p>This team desperately needs someone to run the point when Steph Curry is off the court.<\/p>\n<p>Seeing as that\u2019s a more-frequent event these days, you\u2019d best have someone who can really turn into a player.<\/p>\n<p>The local basketball heroes are aging, and the miles are piling up on those dynastic legs.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>I like all of these young guards to help ease the burden. Put their names on a dartboard, close your eyes, and let it fly.<\/p>\n<p>Want to go for a true big, seeing as you don\u2019t actually have one? Great idea!<\/p>\n<p>Aday Mara from Michigan is 7-friggin-4.<\/p>\n<p>He just won a national title, and you simply can\u2019t teach that kind of absurd, terrifying height.<\/p>\n<p>His teammate, Morez Johnson, might <em>only<\/em> be 6-foot-10, but he\u2019s 250 pounds. That stuff matters in the league. Mass moves mass.<\/p>\n<p>The Warriors have been playing small-ball for a decade, and frankly, they\u2019ve been bullied in the paint lately.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2810\">Motorcyclist fatally ejected in crash on state Highway 242<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Even glass-cleaning big man Hannes Steinbach from Washington makes sense to me here.<\/p>\n<p>Less sense than the kids from Ann Arbor, but sense nevertheless.<\/p>\n<p>And then you could also do the sharp, prudent thing and take a wing.<\/p>\n<p>You can never have too many good wings in today\u2019s NBA. They\u2019re the currency of the realm.<\/p>\n<p>You can go with an old wing who can play right away, in Michigan\u2019s Yaxel Lendeborg, whom I will always credit to UAB.<\/p>\n<p>Frankly, we don\u2019t have nearly enough Yaxels in our lives. I\u2019m rooting for the kid based on the name alone.<\/p>\n<p>Or you can swing for the fences with the too-young Karim L\u00f3pez.<\/p>\n<p>You can ride with the maybe-3-and-probably-not-D of Nate Ament, who at least looks the part of a modern basketball player.<\/p>\n<p>You can even talk me into Santa Clara\u2019s Allen Graves, who started four whole games in the WCC.<\/p>\n<p>Why not? It\u2019s the 11th pick. The world is your oyster, provided you prefer mid-tier oysters.<\/p>\n<p>If you really wanted to press me, I\u2019d find a way to take Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie.<\/p>\n<p>He is going to be a bucket, and absolutely nothing else, at the NBA level.<\/p>\n<p>But pick 11 is entirely too rich for selecting him. (Or is it? OK, fine, it is.)<\/p>\n<p>So that\u2019s a trade-down scenario, which is something else I am completely open to.<\/p>\n<p>Trade the pick for a veteran. Trade it for future assets.<\/p>\n<p>Hell, trade it for some guy I never heard of in the Uzbek league.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m open to nearly everything right now.<\/p>\n<p>Because amidst the droning non-answers Mike Dunleavy sent our way earlier this week, he did say something exceptionally true:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need everything,\u201d he confessed.<\/p>\n<p>He isn\u2019t wrong. The current roster is a patchwork quilt of aging legends and unfinished projects, as well as some finished products that won\u2019t sell.<\/p>\n<p>And when you\u2019re picking No. 11, you get to go in any direction you want.<\/p>\n<p>Just so long as you weren\u2019t setting your hopes on anyone who went in the top 10.<\/p>\n<p>The Warriors might come out of this draft with a rotational player, and perhaps even a definitive direction.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2809\">What are SF Giants\u2019 options once Heliot Ramos returns from IL?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>But they won\u2019t be cheating off my homework to make the selection.<\/p>\n<p>At long last, here he is, positive Dieter: I think all these guys can play.<\/p>\n<p>Just make sure to make a pick.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why pick 11 is the perfect spot for the Dubs to choose their own adventure<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Kurtenbach: My official Warriors draft guide? Get weird, Mike Dunleavy - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kurtenbach: My official Warriors draft guide? Get weird, Mike Dunleavy - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Why pick 11 is the perfect spot for the Dubs to choose their own adventure\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-22T21:09:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2814#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2814\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Kurtenbach: My official Warriors draft guide? Get weird, Mike Dunleavy\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-22T21:09:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2814\"},\"wordCount\":823,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2814#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/b4ce31521b2ce3af889c2d1df4baecdb.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2814#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2814\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2814\",\"name\":\"Kurtenbach: My official Warriors draft guide? Get weird, Mike Dunleavy - Next City Digest\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2814#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2814#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/b4ce31521b2ce3af889c2d1df4baecdb.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-22T21:09:22+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2814#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2814\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2814#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/b4ce31521b2ce3af889c2d1df4baecdb.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/b4ce31521b2ce3af889c2d1df4baecdb.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":716},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2814#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Kurtenbach: My official Warriors draft guide? Get weird, Mike Dunleavy\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Next City Digest\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Kurtenbach: My official Warriors draft guide? Get weird, Mike Dunleavy - Next City Digest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Kurtenbach: My official Warriors draft guide? Get weird, Mike Dunleavy - Next City Digest","og_description":"Why pick 11 is the perfect spot for the Dubs to choose their own adventure","og_url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814","og_site_name":"Next City Digest","article_published_time":"2026-06-22T21:09:22+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"headline":"Kurtenbach: My official Warriors draft guide? Get weird, Mike Dunleavy","datePublished":"2026-06-22T21:09:22+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814"},"wordCount":823,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/b4ce31521b2ce3af889c2d1df4baecdb.webp","articleSection":["Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814","name":"Kurtenbach: My official Warriors draft guide? Get weird, Mike Dunleavy - Next City Digest","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/b4ce31521b2ce3af889c2d1df4baecdb.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-22T21:09:22+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/b4ce31521b2ce3af889c2d1df4baecdb.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/b4ce31521b2ce3af889c2d1df4baecdb.webp","width":1024,"height":716},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2814#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Kurtenbach: My official Warriors draft guide? Get weird, Mike Dunleavy"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/","name":"Next City Digest","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/nextcitydigest.com"],"url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2814\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}