Revisiting 2023 Draft - Podz over Whitemore a Mistake?

[Dasein]

Was drafting Podz over Cam Whitmore a mistake? Although Podz has played well for a rookie, the last thing the Warriors needed was a 6'3" guard. It doesn't seem playing Curry and Podz together will work defensively. This team has one of the wort defenses in the league and a large part of that is playing tiny lineups without size, length, or athleticism. Plus, now its harder to trade Wiggins and Moody because it would leave the Warriors with no wings other than Kuminga and Klay.

Whitmore has been very efficient and has put up nice numbers when given minutes. His per 36 this season:
22 PPG 48% FG 39% 3P 7.5 REB

Was this another draft day blunder that will come back to haunt the Warriors?

[TB]

Was drafting Podz over Cam Whitmore a mistake? Although Podz has played well for a rookie, the last thing the Warriors needed was a 6'3" guard. It doesn't seem playing Curry and Podz together will work defensively. This team has one of the wort defenses in the league and a large part of that is playing tiny lineups without size, length, or athleticism. Plus, now its harder to trade Wiggins and Moody because it would leave the Warriors with no wings other than Kuminga and Klay.

Whitmore has been very efficient and has put up nice numbers when given minutes. His per 36 this season:
22 PPG 48% FG 39% 3P 7.5 REB

Was this another draft day blunder that will come back to haunt the Warriors?

Whitmore is very similar to Kuminga (although his shot looks much improved) so I dont think there was a need for him at all. We would be having the same questions about should we or shouldn't we trade him.

And I know there seems to be this assumption we didn't need a combo guard but in reality we really did. We lost Poole and only had Steph/CP3 as our PGs. And also losing Donte means we had no combo guards. Someone that could slot in at the 1 or 2 with a high basketball IQ and all around game was/is a massive need for the Warriors. What would the Warriors be doing with CP3 and GP2 hurt? Joseph at PG? Quinones?

As for Steph/Podz fit, they are a +11 net rating together when Podz replaces Klay. The negative lineups with the two are when Podz replaces Wiggins, which leads to the same exact issue when Steph/Wiggins/Klay are together... Podz at POA with Steph/Klay failing as the help defenders.

Podz is a very good fit and a good player, so I dont think there will be any regrets even when Cam is scoring 20 points a game.

[EvanZ]

Wiseman over LaMelo is a mistake. Podz over Whitmore is a choice.

[B-King]

I was hoping the Dubs drafted Whitmore to move him for assets from a team that could provide minutes for him. There is practically zero minutes available for him to play with the Warriors. Podz has played well, I just don't love him eating into minutes that could have gone to Moody.

[Old_Blue]

Given the similarities between Kuminga and Whitmore, had the Dubs drafted Whitmore they likely would have done so in order to also trade Kuminga - whose extension date was/is near approaching. In that event, crazy fans would have had yet another reason to erupt in histrionics.

[Dasein]

Yes Whitmore and Kuminga are very similar but wouldn't it be a good thing to have two Kumingas? Plus, Whitmore has the ability to shoot threes - hence we would be able to play both Kuminga and Whitmore together.

[Chupchup]

Was drafting Podz over Cam Whitmore a mistake? Although Podz has played well for a rookie, the last thing the Warriors needed was a 6'3" guard. It doesn't seem playing Curry and Podz together will work defensively. This team has one of the wort defenses in the league and a large part of that is playing tiny lineups without size, length, or athleticism. Plus, now its harder to trade Wiggins and Moody because it would leave the Warriors with no wings other than Kuminga and Klay.

Whitmore has been very efficient and has put up nice numbers when given minutes. His per 36 this season:
22 PPG 48% FG 39% 3P 7.5 REB

Was this another draft day blunder that will come back to haunt the Warriors?

How do you word this as "draft day blunder" ? Whitmore probably wouldn't work because it doesn't look like he can pass so he likely wouldn't be getting any playtime at all on this team. Whitmore wouldn't be jumping over Moody.

[DonaldSanders]

Hard to complain about drafting a guy at #19 that everyone has in their top 10 rookie ladder lists (sometimes even in the top 5). At the time I wanted a bigger player, either Whitmore or Kris Murray... Dunleavy showed his chops in picking Podz.

Who knows who will be best in the end, but really surprising to see this thread considering how good Podz has been. I do doubt how much better he can be since he's such a bookworm tryhard, but hey the kid has been proving people wrong over and over... so who knows.

[Old_Blue]

Yes Whitmore and Kuminga are very similar but wouldn't it be a good thing to have two Kumingas? Plus, Whitmore has the ability to shoot threes - hence we would be able to play both Kuminga and Whitmore together.

The way the draft went down was interesting. A lot of folks were hoping for Jaime Jaquez. For the second year in a row though, the Heat cock blocked the Dubs. At that point, there was a compelling case to roll the dice on Whitmore. I was in that camp. My reasoning was that Whitmore would provide some competition for Kuminga. As interesting as that might have been to see play out, the Warriors may have done the right thing in drafting Podz. He's an interesting player who should have a place in the League for a long time.

[Chris Porter's Hair]

I'd also note Whitmore slipped a LOT. Most of those teams didn't pick a different player because they were convinced their guy was better than Whitmore at their best; it is because teams thought something was wrong was Whitmore. Whatever that was, so far it seems to have been an unwarranted concern. But I don't just think we picked Podz because we thought we needed another guard more than a wing. I bet there was a decent component of "The Warriors, along with many others, think there is a real problem/flaw with Whitmore. Behavioral, mental, something."

[Dasein]

Whitmore tonight: 24 pts with 9-18 from the field and 11 rebounds.

[SinceGatlingWasARookie]

Wiseman over LaMelo is a mistake. Podz over Whitmore is a choice.

I still am not that wild about LaMelo even though he is putting up big numbers.

I think the mistake was not trading the draft pick.

[Chris Porter's Hair]

Wiseman over LaMelo is a mistake. Podz over Whitmore is a choice.

I still am not that wild about LaMelo even though he is putting up big numbers.

I think the mistake was not trading the draft pick.

I don't lose sleep at all that we didn't draft LaMelo. In my weak moments, I dream about what might have happened if we'd traded #2 for #4 and WCJ and drafted Haliburton.

[BackToOakland]

I'd also note Whitmore slipped a LOT. Most of those teams didn't pick a different player because they were convinced their guy was better than Whitmore at their best; it is because teams thought something was wrong was Whitmore. Whatever that was, so far it seems to have been an unwarranted concern. But I don't just think we picked Podz because we thought we needed another guard more than a wing. I bet there was a decent component of "The Warriors, along with many others, think there is a real problem/flaw with Whitmore. Behavioral, mental, something."

Came here to say similar. Whitmore had top 5 buzz/talent hype. But if some “cultural”/behavioral fears were concocted, that’s on the uptight corporate culture paranoiac. Ironically, Ws the poster child for corporate tedium but have enabled Draymond.

The more common explanation was medical.

Dude can beast, no way to know if he’ll have the head for NBA D and team play long term, maybe HOU doing their own hype-spin trade deadline thing for the past 10-15 games. But maybe Udoka has him unlocking and maybe he’ll be awesome after all.

Warriors couldn’t manage developmental timeline and risk like HOU could.

I’m not a huge fan of Podziemski’s act, particularly the charge draw gimmick, but he’s been what the current Ws agenda wants and he certainly has Silicon Valley fit vibes from Santa Clara lol.

No harm no foul here. Mutual attraction, Podz makes the fans happy it appears. Whitmore working out in HOU just confirms they’re on the right track sooner than they were given credit for.