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Three best guards Warriors could take with No. 11 pick in 2026 NBA Draft
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- Three best guards Warriors could take with No. 11 pick in 2026 NBA Draft
Three best guards Warriors could take with No. 11 pick in 2026 NBA Draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Make no mistake about it, Steph Curry remains a superstar who still is playing at an elite level when healthy. He also just missed 39 games and will turn 39 years old at the end of the next NBA season.
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The Warriors need more backcourt help around him, and more depth at both guard positions in general. Curry remains under contract and isn't going anywhere. Brandin Podziemski is under contract and is eligible for an extension this offseason to avoid restricted NBA free agency next offseason.
The only other healthy guard under contract is Will Richard , who was a pleasant surprise as a second-round rookie. The only other guard under contract outside of Richard is Moses Moody , who is rehabbing a torn patellar tendon , and he's more of a wing.
Between age and the state of the current roster, guard play needs to be an upgrade for the Warriors. Here are three who could be available with the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft .
Brayden Burries, PG/SG, Arizona
Of these three prospects, Burries is the least likely to still be available when the Warriors are on the clock. There isn't one trait of his that jumps out over the others. Burries is a combo guard who can do a bit of everything, as he displayed in his one season at Arizona .
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He was Arizona's leading scorer at 16.1 points per game, and was their leader in both 3-pointers made (70) and steals (59). Burries has every ability to make a difference defensively and offensively, and at the least can complement teammates around him well. As an older freshman who will be 21 before his first NBA game, Burries plays like a high-IQ, high-motor impact guard.
Burries showed up for spotlight games and always seemed to bounce back. He scored just seven points on 1-of-5 shooting in his first game against Houston , only to then outscore Kingston Flemings 21 to eight for a five-point victory in the conference tournament championship game, which came one game after scoring only three points. In front of Warriors coach Steve Kerr in the Sweet 16, Burries was awesome against Darius Acuff Jr. , scoring 23 points with five rebounds, two steals and two threes in a blowout win against Arkansas .
Like a lot of the top guards in the draft, Burries has a range of places he could go to in the lottery. The Warriors sure would be happy to see him still available at No. 11.
Labaron Philon Jr., PG, Alabama
A lead guard in the SEC who averaged 22 points per game, shooting 50.1 percent from the field and 39.9 percent behind the 3-point line on high volume, almost always will be seen as a top 10 pick. Playing under the rim and weighing 176 pounds almost always pushes you to the back end of the first round. Philon falls somewhere in the middle.
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Though he isn't an elite athlete, Philon is silky smooth with the ball in his hands. He played two seasons at Alabama , is younger than Burries, and truly made the leap as a sophomore. His points per game jumped 11.4 points, he essentially shot 40 percent after shooting a lowly 31.5 percent as a freshman, and he dropped 35 points on Michigan for his final game in college.
How many players on the Warriors last season could beat their man off the dribble and be a real scoring threat? The list isn't a long one. Philon would be an immediate jolt of offense in that regard.
Even with having such a slender build that calls for real questions defensively, Philon has to be an option for the Warriors.
Christian Anderson, PG, Texas Tech
Speaking of making the leap as a sophomore, Anderson did exactly that.
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He went from making the Big 12's All-Freshman team to then being named the conference's Most Improved Player. Anderson averaged 18.5 points and 7.4 assists per game while shooting 41.5 percent from deep on an eye-opening 7.9 attempts per game. Playing mostly at 19, and now 20, Anderson led the Big 12 in minutes and assists, along with ranking fifth in points per game, but did finish second in total turnovers.
If he were bigger, he'd be going a lot higher in the draft. Anderson came in slightly below 6-foot-1 barefoot at the combine and weighs 180 pounds. However, he does have a 6-foot-6 wingspan, and the tape should speak for itself as someone who wasn't deterred anywhere on the court.
Anderson is more of a trade back option for the Warriors, or trading back into the first round after making their first pick. Adding him would bring a lot more instant excitement to Chase Center.
