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ESPN analyst Jay Bilas offers scouting report on Warriors' four new NBA rookies
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- ESPN analyst Jay Bilas offers scouting report on Warriors' four new NBA rookies
ESPN analyst Jay Bilas offers scouting report on Warriors' four new NBA rookies originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Programming note: The American Century Championship will air Friday, July 11, from 1-3 p.m. PT on Peacock, and again from 5-7 p.m. PT on GOLF Channel. Saturday, July 12 and Sunday, July 13, the tournament will air locally on NBC Bay Area (KNTV) from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT.
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STATELINE, Nev. – ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas arrives on the shores of Lake Tahoe every summer to participate in the American Century Celebrity golf championship, enjoy the revelry and talk Warriors hoops with NBC Sports Bay Area.
An analyst for 30 years, Bilas' broad knowledge of the game, particularly at the college level, allows him to offer objective opinions about Golden State's latest draft picks and NBA Summer League invites.
The Warriors acquired two 2025 NBA Draft picks, both in the second round, last month. Forward Alex Toohey , from Australia's National Basketball League, was selected 52nd overall. Guard Will Richard , from the national champion Florida Gators, was the 56th overall pick. They signed two undrafted players to Exhibit 10 contracts: L.J. Cryer , a guard from national-champion runner up Houston ; and Chance McMillian , a guard from Texas Tech.
Exhibit 10 is a one-year, non-guaranteed contract for the NBA minimum that gives a team the option to transfer a player to a two-way contract before the regular season.
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Here in alphabetical order is the latest version of the unofficial Bilas scouting report:
L.J. Cryer (6-foot-1, 200 pounds, 23 years old)
"He won a championship at Baylor and then he transferred to Houston, and one of the reasons was he wanted to be a better defender and realized that was an area where he could really improve and thought that Kelvin Sampson could really help him there. And I think he did. L.J. can really shoot, and he can get his own. The only, I guess criticism, is he's not a big guard. He's small. He's not really a point guard, but he doesn't really have to be. But he can put buckets up. L.J. moves really well and he could move without the ball, but he can also score with the ball in his hands and create his own."
Chance McMillian (6-foot-3, 190, 23)
"If he can get a roster spot, he might be spending time with the G League. Solid. He's just a solid player that has some developing to do. There are so many guys now that go undrafted and if you give them some time in the G League, and give them some time in the NBA, and they could blossom into important pieces for a championship-level team."
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Will Richard (6-foot 4, 206, 22)
"He started his career at Belmont and then transferred to Florida, and he's a guy that I think perfectly fits the Warriors' culture because he can shoot it. But he's also a very good defender, and a willing defender. He's a team guy and he can operate without the ball, so he's a really good catch-and-shoot guy. He can put it on the deck, but he's an older experienced player that I think fits the Warriors' culture because it's not all about him. He has won a championship. He knows what that is about. I think he's got a chance to be a solid NBA player.
"He gets he gets a fair amount of steals [mostly] off the ball. But he's an impactful defender, and he's a good help defender. He's aware, and you could switch with him; he's not going to be guarding a 4-man. I think he'll fit in really well there."
Alex Toohey (6-foot-8, 223, 21)
"Very talented, and he's really young. He's an upside pick, but really, really talented. Good size, good body. And especially at that age, you never know with guys that are 18-19 years old how they're going to do. But at that age, there aren't many there are many that are better than he is that are coming from Australia."
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Toohey turned 21 in May. After spending three years in the NBA Academy, the league's global development league, he opted for the Sydney Kings of the NBL's Next Stars program, where he spent two seasons before being selected in the NBA draft.
