Former Warriors second-round draft pick Justinian Jessup will stay in Australia for the 2021-22 season, as relayed by RealGM.
Jessup, 23, is 6-foot-7 and was the No. 51 overall pick in 2020. He spent his rookie year with the Illawarra Hawks of Australia’s NBL and that is where he intends to return.
He did play for the Warriors in the Las Vegas Summer League in August, starting all five games and averaging 12.4 points, shooting 43 percent on 3-pointers.
“Jessup started 38 games for Illawarra,” RealGM relayed. “He averaged 13.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game as a rookie in the NBL.”
He played his college ball at Boise State.
This past summer, former college basketball coach and current analyst Fran Fraschilla called it a great move by the Warriors.
“I think he’s got a bright future,” Fraschilla said on the Dubs Talk podcast. “I think a role-playing shooter, wing shooter, no doubt about it. I think the great thing about what the Warriors did in drafting him was, they basically, like the Oakland A’s or the San Francisco Giants, they took a guy and they put him in Triple-A.
“So, instead of giving him an opportunity to play in Santa Cruz, maybe not play much with the Warriors, maybe need some seasoning, they sent him to a league where they’ve produced NBA players and he had to play a lot and play a key role on a team. And in some ways, I think it was even better than the G League, because you’re talking about real men — 25, 30 years old, the team system is a good one — so I think Justinian really helped himself.
“I don’t know what the roster situation is with the Warriors this year, but I think long-term, brilliant move by the coaching staff to put him in what I would consider the Australian version of Triple-A baseball.”
Looking for the latest NBA Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow Hoops Wire on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NBA News and Rumors for all 30 teams!
