The Golden State Warriors will be back on the court Saturday night, facing off against the Philadelphia 76ers to kick off their 2017 Summer League in Las Vegas.
The Summer League is a time for the organization to get an increased look at Patrick McCaw, Damian Jones and Kevon Looney, three players who just a few weeks back were riding on floats at the Warriors championship parade. Jordan Bell will have his first opportunity to impress in a Dubs uniform after being taken in the second round of last month’s draft. Undrafted rookies players who have spent time with the Santa Cruz Warriors and other aspiring pros will have the chance to shine.
It’s also a chance for members of the Warriors coaching staff to gain valuable experience in guiding the team through the short season.
Warriors assistant coach and player development coach Chris DeMarco will be the head coach of the summer league team, and joined Murph and Mac Friday on KNBR to share his thoughts on how the roster is coming together.
On the roster players –
“Pat [McCaw] has been vocal and an excellent leader so far,” DeMarco said. “We already know he does a lot of things defensively and offensively, but he’s so unselfish and he’s been such a good leader with these guys. Kevon Looney has had some bad luck with injuries, so this summer will be good for him to really understand what he can give us on both ends. The challenge for [Jordan Bell], like most rookies, is just kind of understanding the terminology and NBA concepts. Him and Damian [Jones] have really high motors.”
On putting all the pieces in the right places –
“We’ve only had two practices and a scrimmage. A huge challenge for us is trying to mesh everyone’s strengths and weaknesses together and put out our most competitive lineups and that’s going to take some time. We got to see what players fit best together. We’ve got a ton of shooting, a ton of scoring, a lot of high IQ guys.”
To catch DeMarco’s full interview with Murph and Mac, click below. To listen to DeMarco talk about the growth of players on the championship roster, skip ahead to the 2:50 mark
