A brief history of the No. 11 pick, as Warriors prepare for 2026 NBA Draft

We’re exactly two weeks away from Day 1 of the 2026 NBA Draft which, yes, is now a two-day event. A lot can change between now and then, including the Golden State Warriors attaching their first-round pick to a few other assets to land a big fish before free agency begins. But the most likely scenario is that when Adam Silver calls out the No. 11 pick on draft night, it still has the Warriors’ name attached to it, and is a player that Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Steve Kerr are excited about adding to the rotation.

One of my favorite things to do during draft season is look back on prior picks, so I can calibrate my own expectations. Of course, it’s hard to compare picks year over year — sometimes teams opt for a raw project that they hope can develop down the road, while other times they choose a player they anticipate contributing right away (such as Yaxel Lendeborg, who our Ricky O’Donnell has the Dubs selecting in his latest mock draft).

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So here, to help you get a feel for what the Warriors can strive for, are the last 20 No. 11 picks in the draft.

2025: Cedric Coward (Grizzlies)

It’s also hard to compare draft picks because team situations vary so much. The Grizzlies, who swung a draft day trade for Coward, were hit by an absurd amount of injuries this year, and it opened up the door for their first-round pick to play a lot. Coward took advantage, averaging 13.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, and making the All-Rookie first team. Only time will tell if he’s a quality starter going forward, or if it’s an Eric Paschall situation.

2024: Matas Buzelis (Bulls)

Safe to say the Warriors would be thrilled to get a Buzelis. In his rookie season he made the All-Rookie team and earned Rookie of the Year votes, while playing well enough to help a team with playoff aspirations. And he followed it up with a sophomore leap that makes him look like he could be a player Chicago builds around for the future.

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2023: Jett Howard (Magic)

Suffice to say, you can’t expect to hit a home run with every pick outside of the top 10 (or inside it, for that matter). So far, that’s been the case for…

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Publish date : 2026-06-09 22:56:00

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