Nico Mannion finds a perfect fit with the Golden State Warriors

It was an eventful night for Nico Mannion as he waited a long time to hear his name called, however, he found a perfect fit with the Golden State Warriors.

I’m sure if you asked Nico Mannion a year ago how excited he was about the upcoming NBA Draft,  and I’m sure he would have told you he was encouraged and motivated to keep working after being projected to be a lottery pick. However, things didn’t pan out that way after he had to wait until the No. 48 overall pick to be selected by the Golden State Warriors.

Unfortunately for him, a lot has changed in the past year from the Draft being pushed out, to his stock taking a major hit throughout the year.  And as you may have seen, most projections over the past few weeks/months, had Nico going somewhere in the second round, with a slim, outside shot of sneaking into the end of the first round.

Arizona Wildcats

Well, as Draft night came and went, Nico waited, and waited. then he had to wait a little bit longer before hearing his name called. I would assume it was an evening that was certainly memorable, but a rather exhausting one to say the least.

Nonetheless, Nico is heading to the Bay, and to be honest, I don’t think he could have lucked out anymore than landing with the Warriors.

Teaming up with former Wildcat Steve Kerr who has done a great job there, Nico will have a chance to compete and learn from future Hall of Fame guard Steph Curry that will make him work in practice.

As Nico still needs more time to develop, this is a team he can spend some time with and he can be mentored by some talented players around him. He has great athleticism, and great shooting potential, he just needs more consistency and more time to develop physically.

He should have an opportunity to see some playing time next season, and provide immediate depth. Plus, this is a place that emphasizes guards and guard play, which isn’t a bad situation for Nico.

Interestingly enough, it is very ironic that Nico would land with Golden State. First off, Nico already has learned a bit from Steph, attending Steph’s Basketball camp when he was 15.

Also, Nico will be following his fathers’ footsteps a bit as just 17 years earlier, his father Pace, was drafted No. 43 overall by none other the Golden State Warriors as well.

Nico is a talented guard, and make no mistake he has a lot of potential still. For him development is key, and in case you need a reminder, here you go!

At Zona Zealots, we are happy for Nico, and can’t wait to see how he develops over the next few years. As always, Bear Down, Arizona!