After defeating the Los Angeles Clippers last night, the Warriors will get ready for the Lakers, but let’s take a look at what some of writers had to say about last night’s game:
1. Which player impressed you the most?
Sam Esfandiari: Tie. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Thompson seems to be transitioning his FIBA play right into the NBA. His confidence looked sky high. His offense looked more diverse; fade aways, a few dribble drives, and getting to the free throw line. FIBA Klay is the new Olympic Melo. Green left off right where he was the year before. Green looked leaner and subsequently was moving quicker. He was handling the ball and initiating offense regularly, hitting his shots, and playing his patented stifling defense. It’s going to be hard to keep Green off the court if he plays like this. Honorable mention to Bogut and Lee. Both played great games, but neither did anything we haven’t seen in the past. When Bogut has been involved, the production has been there. David Lee did what David Lee does. Still, they deserve some praise for very productive games.
Steven Quach: I have to say Klay Thompson. We’ve known he can score but he looks like he has something to prove and in a contract year it makes a lot of sense. With Curry fouling out early, Thompson knocked down tough shots and even had an emphatic dunk. Although he started off cold, he showed he can play with the big boys.
Alex Torres: Nemanja Nedovic. Coming into this game, the team still has not decided to pick up his third year option on his contract and they have until October 31st to make a final decision. Nedovic made that decision much tougher after playing great against the Clippers last night. In 15 minutes of work, Nedovic finished with 12 points and three assists. Nedovic did most of his damage in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 points and given the Warriors enough offense to close out the Clippers on their floor. Nedovic looks healthy and he is finally getting into a good rhythm. Nedovic has the physical tools to be successful in this league, but can he stay healthy and take advantage of his time on the floor.
2. What did you think of the offense?
Sam Esfandiari: Work in progress. I liked the constant motion. I did not like the spacing. I’m assuming the lack of spacing was an effect of not being 100% comfortable in the system. One thing which worried me was how many plays were ran for mid range 2’s instead of 3s. Both Curry and Klay continually came off curls for 20 footers instead of 3 pointers like last year. There is no reason for the Splash brothers to take only 4 threes, even in limited minutes. On the positive note, the big to big passing was a treat. We did not see enough of that last season, and it looks to be a staple of Kerr’s offense.
Steven Quach: I really like that Kerr’s offense incorporates a lot of pick and rolls. It freed up a lot of spacing down low and led to easy buckets for the front court. Both David Lee and Andrew Bogut were getting good looks next to the rim against a tough Clippers front court. As long as the “Splash Brothers” can knock down shots, the Warriors will have a legitimate inside and outside threat.
Alex Torres: It seems the players are still adapting to the system, which makes sense because it was their first pre-season game. Their was an emphasis on ball movement and that evident early on. At this point it’s hard to judge because they are still trying to master a new system and they still have plenty of time to get it all down. Kerr’s scheme will need some time to develop, but it does look promising.
3. Which player would you have liked to see get more time on the floor.
Sam Esfandiari: Nemanja Nedovic. Nedovic finally showed the skillset which earned the praise ‘European Derrick Rose’. It was late in a preseason game, but he was consistently beating his man off the dribble, cutting baseline, getting to the rim. I’m excited to see him in the following few games to see if he can build upon it.
Steven Quach: I would’ve like to see Aaron Craft out on the floor. Outside of injured Shaun Livingston and Festus Ezeli, only Mitchell Watt, Aaron Craft, and Jason Kapono didn’t see the floor at all. I was shocked to see the regulars play so much in the first half and hope to see if Kerr can completely empty the bench versus the Lakers. Aaron Craft showed his pesky defense in the Summer League and I’m looking to see if he can make the NBA players annoyed too.
Alex Torres: It would have been nice to see Aaron Craft get some playing time yesterday, but I would have loved to see more of Justin Holiday. At the Las Vegas Summer League, Holiday was one of the best players in the tournament. Holiday was known for his work on the defensive end coming out of the University of Washington, but his offense has really improved and has made tough baskets down the stretch. Having an athletic wing with his skills would be a great weapon to have off the bench.