Brayden Burries wants an NBA veteran to mentor him. Could it be Warriors' Draymond Green?

Brayden Burries had an ally at his pre-draft workout Thursday for the Golden State Warriors, an NBA veteran with four championship rings and some cachet around Chase Center.

As it turns out, Burries met Draymond Green when Green - who has a home in Los Angeles - attended one of Burries' games during his senior season at Roosevelt High School in Eastvale (near Riverside). They chatted then and again Thursday, when Burries headlined the latest group of draft prospects visiting San Francisco.

"He was just encouraging me," Burries said. "It's pretty cool, because he doesn't have to be doing that. He could be gone. But he was helping me, telling me to continue to push through, and then after the workout we chopped it up a little bit."

Burries counts as an intriguing possibility as the Warriors prepare for next week's NBA draft. He spent one season at Arizona (Steve Kerr's alma mater), where he averaged 16.1 points, shot 39.1% from long distance and helped the Wildcats reach the Final Four for the first time in 25 years.

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But most mock drafts have Burries, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, going No. 8 to Atlanta or No. 9 to Milwaukee. The Warriors pick 11th, and they would seem to need a sizable forward or center more than a shooting guard.

Then again, the Warriors covet long-range shooting even more than most NBA teams. They led the league last season with 44.1 attempts per game beyond the arc, so it's no stretch to picture Golden State snatching Burries if he doesn't vanish in the top 10 of Tuesday's first round.

Not surprisingly - what else is he going to say after working out in Warriors gear at Chase? - Burries seems fine with the possibility. More than anything, he understands the value of landing with a franchise with Green-like vets (Stephen Curry anyone?) willing to serve as mentors.

"Somewhere I can kind of just be me and learn from different guys," Burries said. "I really want to go somewhere where they have a vet who really cares about the next generation, the younger generation, and would help me."

If the Warriors do end up chasing a shooting guard, and Burries is off the board, might they be tempted to take Alabama's Labaron Philon Jr.? He also participated in Thursday's workout, and he brings impressive credentials despite lacking Burries' high profile.

Philon averaged 22 points per game last season for the Crimson Tide, on 39.9% shooting from long range. He also stands 6-foot-4, though he's slender and wiry at slightly more than 180 pounds - nearly 25 fewer than Burries.

Philon, who also talked briefly with Green after Thursday's workout, spoke of how he modeled his game after Curry.

"I definitely have a lot of Curry jerseys," Philon said. "And just looking up to him, it would be a great opportunity to watch him and step on the same floor. I mean, he was one of my idols growing up."

Another player in Thursday's workout fits a much different profile than Burries and Philon. Washington forward Hannes Steinbach emits a Dirk Nowitzki vibe, and not just because they're both from Germany.

Steinbach stands 6-foot-11 but, like Nowitzki, feels comfortable operating on the perimeter. He shot a pedestrian 34% beyond the arc in his only college season, though he still averaged 18.5 points and an NCAA-best 11.8 rebounds for the Huskies.

And, yes, the Warriors could use a 6-11 forward who gobbles up rebounds. Absolutely.

Golden State released the names of six other prospects who participated in Thursday's workout: Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz, Kansas forward Tre White, Florida State forward Lajae Jones, Pittsburgh forward Barry Dunning, Arizona forward Anthony Dell'Orso and Baylor guard Cameron Carr.

The Warriors will hold another workout Friday, with two more marquee players expected to attend - Michigan's Aday Mara, a 7-3 center, and Karim Lopez, a 6-8 forward. Lopez, a 19-year-old from Mexico, plays professionally in New Zealand.

Mara and Lopez, for what it's worth, are the two players most often linked to the Warriors in various mock drafts ahead of next week's actual draft.

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