Warriors pre-draft workouts roundup

The Warriors worked out a number of candidates for the No. 41 pick or free agent signings last week. Let’s get to know the last three visitors!

The Golden State Warriors hosted draft workouts last week, trying to find a player worthy of the No. 41 pick. It could be the next Quinten Post! It could be the next Nico Mannion! But it’s probably not going to be someone who can’t legally drink yet.

Here are the three players the Warriors looked at last Wednesday.

LJ Cryer, guard, Houston

Cryer and the Houston Cougars came oh-so-close to a national title last season. Cryer scored 19 points in the championship game and put up 26 in their win over Duke in the Final Four. For the season, he averaged 15.7 points and 3.1 three-pointers per game, making 42.4% of them. For his college career, he made 41.3% of his threes and 86.3% of his free throws, leading the Big 12 in three-point percentage each of the last three years.

Cryer is a truly elite three-point shooter and a really good scorer. He didn’t rack up many assists, but he was a good ball handler and played well off the ball. A mark in his favor is that some of his college teammates like Jamal Shead and Keyonte George are in the NBA now and Cryer held his own alongside them.

The downside is that he’s only 6-foot-1. Cryer is a shooting guard who is the size of a smaller point guard. He’s much more of a scorer than a passer, plus he’s already 22 years old. Does he sound like a fun NBA player? Yes. But his role seems likely to be providing instant offense off the bench rather than being a true backup point. It’s not exactly what the Warriors are looking for, but it is something they could use.

Trey Galloway, guard, Indiana

Galloway is another five-year college player. The 6-foot-4, 23-year-old guard averaged 8.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists last season for Indiana, where he started 20 of their 32 games and averaged 28 minutes. He’s a career 31% shooter from three-point range, and a good defender who reportedly plays very hard.

It seems unlikely that Galloway is going to get drafted but he could be a player that the Warriors would try in Santa Cruz. Maybe they think they can get Galloway to improve as an outside shooter. It should surprise absolutely no one that this guy’s father was his high school basketball coach.

Arthur Kaluma, forward, Texas

Kaluma started nearly all of his games in his four-year, three-school college career (Creighton, then Kansas State, and finally Texas). He’s 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, and has a 7-foot-1 wingspan. This is a guy with a ton of athleticism who gets a lot of his buckets by driving to the hoop or grabbing offensive rebounds or getting to the foul line. Kaluma has improved his three-point shooting to 35.9% his last year and shot the ball very well at the G League Elite camp.

Like many of the players in the Warriors’ draft range, Kaluma is a little undersized to play power forward. He gives a lot of effort and can probably play or guard multiple positions, but if he were taller, bigger, or better at shooting he’d be amazing. Kaluma spent his senior year playing for a disappointing Texas team, which could explain why his draft stock is fallen. It wouldn’t be a shock to see Kaluma go in the second round but he feels like an undrafted free agent who could get a two-way deal if a team loves his energy or believes in his jumper.

Older players? Well-established college programs? This group certainly has characteristics the Warriors often go for in the draft, but these three also require some healthy optimism. Especially you, Galloway.