On Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors thoroughly outplayed the Portland Trail Blazers in the last preseason game. They won their final preseason game 131-98. The Warriors continued to bench Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, and Kevon Looney in addition to Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Andre Iguodala (though it’s important to note that Portland didn’t play Damian Lillard or Gary Payton II). The absentees make this performance even more astounding. Let’s discuss some game-related observations.
DiVincenzo and Warriors: A Match Made in Heaven
DiVincenzo appears to be a good fit for the Golden State Warriors. In charge of leading the offense without Curry and Poole, DD appeared to be at very ease. Even though he didn’t make any of his four shots, in just 23 minutes he managed to dish up 10 assists.
He collected seven boards while being totally relentless on the glass, and his defense was outstanding. When he was running the pick and roll with James Wiseman, he appeared in control and dangerous. This is excellent for the second unit. When he wasn’t handling the rock, he was also moving well without the ball.
JaMychal Green!!!
Every time a shot was taken, Green dove for the basket, and in just 20 minutes, he managed to get eight rebounds. He sliced to the rim and drifted to the arc to make jump shots, going 4-for-5 on both twos and threes. He was a fierce advocate. We can only learn so much from preseason games against poor teams’ reserves, but Green surely impressed us enough to have us excited.
James Wiseman: The Prodigy
Until we see it during actual games, we should restrict our expectations for Wiseman. But my gracious, the young center had a terrific preseason. Although his stats are good, his eye test is much more impressive. On offense, he’s moving straight up or forward rather than away from the rim, and his hands appear to be in good shape. He has played defense with strength, agility, and vertical movement. He’s been a monster on the glass, too.
In just 18 minutes, he finished with 18 points and 7 rebounds while shooting 6-for-8 from the floor and 6-for-7 from the line.
Ryan Rollins is making his Case
In training camp thus far, Patrick Baldwin Jr. has garnered far more attention than fellow rookie Rollins, but on Tuesday, it was the second-round pick’s turn to shine. In just 16 minutes of play, he finished with 12 points and five assists on 5-for-7 shooting from the field.
Before he receives important minutes, he’ll need to do it frequently in practice and garbage time, but it’s always entertaining to see a glimpse of why the Dubs are so enthused about this player.
The Return of the Dray
The big news is that Draymond Green will rejoin the club on Thursday and is anticipated to play in their last preseason game, according to Steve Kerr’s postgame announcement. He won’t be suspended, just be fined. The entire crew, especially Poole, made the choice.
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