© Jacob Snow | 2020 Mar 7
The Warriors selected two former five star high school recruits on Wednesday.
The first was James Wiseman at No. 2, once ranked as the best high school player in the country. The second was No. 48 overall pick Nico Mannion, a former McDonald’s All-American who was named to the second-team All-Pac-12 in 2020.
Mannion, a 6-foot-3 point guard, was once considered a top 15 pick, but saw his draft stock fall as his shooting percentage fell below the 40 percent mark. What Mannion will bring immediately is incredible effort on both sides of the ball, and excellent ball handling at the backup point guard spot currently occupied by Jordan Poole. It’s unlikely Mannion will make a dent in the rotation immediately, and is a likely candidate for a two-way contract.
Mannion averaged 14 points, over five assists and a steal per game last year at Arizona. Mannnion, again like Wiseman, also once played in front of Stephen Curry at his camp at the age of 15.
Here’s a 15-year-old Nico Mannion, the point guard the Warriors just took #48 overall, in front of Steph Curry at his camp a few years back pic.twitter.com/oZKaTVGw93
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 19, 2020
Three picks later, the Warriors selected Justinian Jessup with the No. 51 overall pick. Jessup, a 6-foot-7 wing, played three seasons at Boise State before signing a contract to play in the Australian Basketball League in 2021. Jessup averaged 14 points per game his junior season while shooting over 40 percent from three.
He is considered a stash pick at this point, not a player the Warriors expect to come stateside this season.