Golden State Warriors: Meet This Year’s New Faces
By Ryan Viera
Mar 26, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Juwan Staten (3) dribbles against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half in the semifinals of the midwest regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Another fresh face for the Warriors this preseason is that of point guard Juwan Staten. A bit undersized at 6’1″, Staten went undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft. After playing one year at the University of Dayton, Staten transferred to West Virginia, where he was very successful. During his junior season at West Virginia, Staten earned Big-12 First Team honors, as well as Big 12 All-Defensive honors.
Angelo Mendoza of our very own Golden Gate Sports had an interesting take on Staten’s chances to make the final roster cut:
"“Much of Staten’s offense comes within the arc, whether it be a pull up jumper or some form of finish inside the paint. Behind the arc, Staten averaged a solid looking 36.2 percent shooting from behind the arc, but he only had 58 attempts from outside. Seeing as Golden State is very much in the market for another floor spacer to add to the bench, it’s tough to see Staten making the team if he isn’t able to prove he’s made drastic improvements to his outside shooting. Also to be considered is the current make up of the team, with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Shaun Livingston, Leandro Barbosa and Andre Iguodala filling up the backcourt. Without the need for another point guard, it’s more likely than not Staten ends up with Golden State’s D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, who are in need of a point guard now that Aaron Craft and Kiwi Gardner are playing overseas.”"
During his time at West Virginia, Staten averaged 13.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He shot 43.9 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from three.
Next: Jarell Eddie