Here are the top Warriors to watch at Summer League
Summer League kicks off this weekend as the Warriors host the California
Classic
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 24: The Golden State Warriors
presented their 2022 NBA Draft Picks Gui Santos, from left, Patrick
Baldwin Jr., and Ryan Rollins during a press conference at the Chase
Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, June 24, 2022. Patrick
Baldwin Jr. with the 28th overall pick, Gui Santos with the 55th overall
pick and Ryan Rollins, the 44th overall selection in the second round.
(Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 24: The Golden State Warriors
presented their 2022 NBA Draft Picks Gui Santos, from left, Patrick
Baldwin Jr., and Ryan Rollins during a press conference at the Chase
Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, June 24, 2022. Patrick
Baldwin Jr. with the 28th overall pick, Gui Santos with the 55th overall
pick and Ryan Rollins, the 44th overall selection in the second round.
(Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: June 30, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. | UPDATED: June 30, 2022 at 11:02 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/06/30/warriors-you-need-to-keep-an-eye-on-at-summer-league/

SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors’ Summer League slate begins this weekend
with the California Classic at Chase Center, an opportunity for the
reigning champions to start digging for some gems to help defend their
title.

The Warriors will field a roster with diverse experience levels in the
California and Las Vegas portions of Summer League. Some played big
playoff minutes and walked the parade route, some newly minted rookies.
Some guys are looking for a chance, some could be a two-way options,
some came from overseas.

There will be some notable absences due to injury. Ryan Rollins, an
intriguing combo guard the Warriors traded up to draft in the second
round, has a stress fracture in his foot and won’t play at all in July.
James Wiseman is not expected to play until the latter half of the Las
Vegas portion.

Gary Payton II was a Summer League invitee last year and impressed
enough to win the final roster spot, eventually becoming an
irreplaceable part of the title team. Could the next Payton be in Summer
League this year? Let’s take a look at some names to watch.

- Quinndary Weatherspoon, guard

Klay Thompson raised the green flag on Weatherspoon last year. The
G-Leaguer played impressive defense on Thompson in practice during the
star’s ramp-up back from major injury. Weatherspoon signed a 10-day
deal, then a two-way deal and was on the bench throughout the Warriors’
playoff run.

He has a shot at a roster spot, if not a two-way deal and a bigger role
next year. Weatherspoon is a smart cutter and a great defender. In
Summer League, watch how he develops his scoring. With an improved
3-point shot, a path to the roster could clear for him.

- Lester Quiñones, guard

Golden State signed Quiñones, undrafted out of Memphis, to a two-way
deal on draft night. Quiñones can shoot the ball: He shot 51% on
2-pointers and 37% from 3 for the Tigers. He’s a 6-foot-6 wing with a
6-foot-10 wingspan — the type of player the Warriors love.

Quiñones has some NBA skills. Can he show them off at summer league? He
plays with a special kind of flair, famous in Memphis for his air-guitar
celebration after made shots and on-court fashion choices that he said
got the crowd and media excited about his play. He’ll be fun to watch,
with real potential to be a contributor this year.

- Justinian Jessup, guard

The Warriors selected Jessup in the second round in 2020 and he’s spent
the last two seasons playing for the Illawarra Hawks in Australia. The
24-year-old profiles as a strong 3-point shooter who can pass. But in
his Summer League appearance in 2021, his sharp shooter wasn’t
consistent enough to make up for his defensive lapses.

He hasn’t proven he can stick in the NBA, but this Summer League will be
crucial in deciding how to proceed with Jessup’s future with the
Warriors. Jessup and Seth Cooper, the Warriors’ coach for the California
Classic, said his main focus will be monitoring his defensive improvements.

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- Selom Mawugbe, center

Wiseman’s unexpectedly long recovery from knee surgery leaves the
Warriors in need of center depth. Kevon Looney will be a free agency
priority, and some options are on the market if that fails. But Mawugbe,
a 6-foot-8 big, provides some depth and assurances at that position.

He’s a strong rebounder, a lob threat and could slide into an NBA role
after spending the last two years with the Santa Cruz Warriors. If
Wiseman’s recovery extends into the season, Mawugbe has a shot to make
the team. His Summer League performance could be pivotal.

- Gabriel Chachashvili, center

With some shifted focus to the center position to possibly bolster depth
there, keep an eye out for Chachashvili. The 6-foot-10 Israeli center is
known as one of the best switching defenders. He’s a shorter backup
center option who fits the Warriors’ system.

- Patrick Baldwin Jr., forward

Baldwin, the Warriors’ first-round pick this year, is bouncing back from
an ankle injury and won’t play in the California Classic. But there’s a
chance he could return for part of the Las Vegas portion of summer
league, and he will have an opportunity to show the high IQ that Bob
Myers and the Warriors saw pop on film.

Baldwin said on Wednesday he is excited to “prove he can win.” A
five-star recruit out of high school in Milwaukee, Baldwin’s draft stock
tumbled when he struggled at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Summer
League will be an opportunity for Baldwin to flash some of the potential
he holds from those high school days.

--
Shayna Rubin | Oakland Athletics reporter