Mike Dunleavy Outlines Warriors' Philosophy For Second Round Of 2026 Nba Draft

Mike Dunleavy outlines Warriors' philosophy for second round of 2026 NBA Draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

With the 2026 NBA Draft approaching, there are many questions surrounding who the Warriors will take at No. 11 overall.

But what does Mike Dunleavy have in store for Golden State’s second-round pick, locked in at No. 54?

“I think the approach on the second round for us has been not to overthink it, you’re looking for a guy that can just make it,” Dunleavy told reporters during his Wednesday press conference at Chase Center regarding the upcoming draft. “You don’t worry about position, you don’t worry about size, you don’t worry about age, you’re picking, for example, late 50s, it’s hard to make it to the NBA that far back in the draft.”

The Warriors have found recent success in the second round, drafting players such as Gui Santos, Quinten Post and Will Richard.

“If there’s a guard that we think could make it and it’s just going to mean we have more guards, you just got to do it because the rest of the guys if you try and pick for position at that point you could go wrong,” Dunleavy told reporters. “So I think the focus is just, which guy has the best chance to make it, let’s get him in our program, develop him, get him to Santa Cruz a little bit and see where it goes.”

That development path is exactly what turned Santos, a No. 55 overall pick in 2022, into a real contributor. He spent his entire rookie season in the G League with the Santa Cruz Warriors, averaging 13.7 points per game over two seasons there before earning a consistent role in Golden State.

With Stephen Curry entering what could be one of his final seasons, every value pick matters more than usual for a Warriors roster trying to maximize what’s left of his prime — even one as far down as No. 54.

While the second round might not hold all the answers to the team’s recent struggles, Dunleavy’s philosophy suggests there could be a diamond in the rough waiting to join the Warriors in 2026.

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