© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
OAKLAND – We’ve had to wait since the NBA Finals back in June to see the Warriors in action. Today, they took the floor again and despite a 114-110 loss, they showed plenty of glimpses of why they’ve won three of the last four championships.
The Warriors are still really, really good at shooting 3-pointers
This might be the least surprising take of all time. But sometimes the rust of an offseason doesn’t always wear off immediately, and it takes a while to be reminded of exactly how good some teams are. Tonight was an immediate reminder of what the Warriors can and will do from behind the arc.
Steph Curry came out and made his first four threes before finishing 5-for-9 from behind the arc. At one point he and Kevin Durant, who celebrated his 30th birthday today, were 5-of-6 through the first quarter. Klay Thompson added 3-of-4 from behind the arc and as a team, the Warriors made 10 of their 26 threes.
Kerr stuck to his word before the game when he said the starters (excluding Jones) would see 20 minutes each. Durant, Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green all saw exactly 20 minutes before being pulled for the night.
No clear edge in young center competition, but quality is obvious
The competition between Damian Jones, Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell for the starting center position is the one question the Warriors will have to answer by the end of the preseason. Jones got the start tonight, with Looney and Bell often coming in as a 4-5 pairing. Through the first half, Bell put in by far the most effective performance.
Center battle thus far:
Damian Jones: 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 fouls in 7 minutes
Kevon Looney: 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist in 10 minutes
Jordan Bell: 10 points, 4 rebounds in 9 minutes.— Logan Murdock (@loganmmurdock) September 30, 2018
By the end of the night, their respective stat lines were admirable:
Jones: 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Looney: 7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Bell: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist
This offense still loves to share the ball
Like the first point, this won’t come as a shock to anyone. But what was surprising is how well-oiled the offense appeared to be. No one turned the ball over more than two times and the team’s turnover-to-assist ratio was spectacular for a preseason game.
Green was his usual self, with two points, four rebounds and eight assists (and five fouls). Durant, Thompson and Curry tallied a combined eight assists in their 20 minutes on the floor. That’s all standard. But the bench players were just as selfless, racking up 12 assists. Quinn Cook led the way with five, with support coming from all around him.
That sharing saw Curry finish with 21 points, Thompson with 17 and Durant with 16. It made it easy for the Warriors to climb well over 100 points by the end of the game.
Jimmy Butler’s absence was evident
While you don’t expect to see much time from star players in preseason games, it’s still nice to see them in that limited time. The most noticeable absence from Saturday’s game was the Timberwolves’ Jimmy Butler, who publicly requested a trade from the team earlier this month.
He was officially listed as being out with an right wrist injury from his offseason surgery, although the explanation did not come as an extraordinarily believable one.
The T-Wolves game notes listing Jimmy Butler out tonight because of offseason surgery on his right wrist. I wonder if there's another reason ?
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) September 29, 2018
Marcus Derrickson making his case
“Who is Marcus Derrickson?” you may be asking. He’s the Warriors’ Exhibit 10 front court signing who went undrafted from Georgetown University, but had a strong Summer League.
Sources: Undrafted Georgetown forward Marcus Derrickson has agreed to sign with the Warriors on an Exhibit 10 contract. He averaged 13 points/five rebounds in eight summer league games for Golden State.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 10, 2018
Tonight, Derrickson showed confidence offensively, scoring 10 points and going 2-for-4 from three-point range with three rebounds. With strong competition in the Warriors’ front court, it’s tough to see how Derrickson would carve out a spot on the 15-man roster, but his performance at the very least caught some eyes.