Warriors training camp preview: Young, talented bench retooled with
free-agent signees
Golden State Warriors’ bench includes Poole, Kuminga, Moody, but also
features new faces
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 25: Golden State Warriors’
Jonathan Kuminga, #00 Jordan Poole #3 and Klay Thompson #11 celebrate a
dunk by Kuminga in the fourth quarter of their NBA game against the
Dallas Mavericks at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on
Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 25: Golden State Warriors’
Jonathan Kuminga, #00 Jordan Poole #3 and Klay Thompson #11 celebrate a
dunk by Kuminga in the fourth quarter of their NBA game against the
Dallas Mavericks at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on
Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: September 21, 2022 at 5:00 a.m. | UPDATED: September 21, 2022
at 6:48 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/09/21/warriors-training-camp-preview-young-talented-bench-retooled-with-free-agent-signees/

Despite losing two key off-the-bench contributors from their
championship run in free agency, the Warriors find themselves in pretty
good shape heading into training camp.

Golden State has 13 players signed for their upcoming title defense. The
team is welcoming back the entire starting unit and has loads of
up-and-coming talent.

The Warriors’ current “Big Three” isn’t getting any younger. Stephen
Curry is 34; Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are 32. Meanwhile, the
median age of Golden State’s bench is 22, and that includes 32-year-old
offseason pick-up JaMychal Green. And the Warriors have good reason to
believe their championship window could be open for years to come.

One of the more exciting moments from the Warriors’ summer league was
seeing Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman and Moses Moody share the court
for the very first time.

It was a mixed bag of sorts as it’ll take time for those three players —
along with 23-year-old Jordan Poole — to build chemistry and develop
their games. But those four could be the cornerstones of the next
generation of Warriors players to eventually fill the inevitable void
left by Curry, Green and Thompson as they age out of their prime.

Here’s a look at the second unit heading into training camp:

Jordan Poole is a rising star in the league and played his best
basketball in the final weeks of the regular season, carrying his
offensive production into the playoffs. The Warriors will want to see
him build off that success this season while improving his defense.

James Wiseman didn’t play a single NBA game last season as his
surgically repaired knee continued to hamper him. He had an up-and-down
summer league showing which was to be expected for a 21-year-old who had
played only a few G League games over the course of 15 months. The
return of Kevon Looney will alleviate some pressure on Wiseman, but this
will be an important season for the Warriors to better gauge what they
have in their 2019 second overall pick.

Jonathan Kuminga has the athleticism and raw talent to be an All-Star in
the league, but now he needs to better refine his game and be more
consistent. For as many high-flying dunks and offensive highlights
Kuminga had, he also had lapses on defense last season. But after an
offseason of work, Kuminga will look to earn a more consistent spot in
the Warriors rotation this season.

Moses Moody is another player that will be pushing for more playing time
this season. Having shown flashes of his potential during his rookie
campaign, Moody mainly stayed in the Bay Area this summer as he vowed to
work on every aspect of his game — from improving his spot-up shooting
and scoring off the catch and dribble to his on and off the ball
defense. He had an impressive showing at summer league and could take on
a larger role in his sophomore season.

Donte DiVincenzo saw a dip in his production and efficiency when he
returned from an ankle injury last season. He seemed to have found his
stride after being traded to the Kings. In a way, DiVincenzo said he
felt like he ran out of time. After having a full offseason, the
Warriors are hoping DiVincenzo can be the proven role player he was
during the Bucks championship-winning season.

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JaMychal Green is coming off his lowest posted season averages in points
and rebounds since he made his NBA debut in January 2015. But Golden
State has a positive track record in helping players revitalize their
careers. Green is a reliable defender and can be a stretch five in some
of the Warriors’ small-ball lineups.

Patrick Baldwin Jr. has been praised for his high basketball IQ but an
ankle injury has caused him to miss all but 11 games last season at the
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and have a poor NBA Combine showing.
Baldwin was a medium-risk, high-reward project for the Warriors, who
drafted him No. 28 overall. With how deep the Warriors roster is, he’ll
likely take some trips to Santa Cruz to polish his game but could be a
building block for the future.

Ryan Rollins is working his way back from a foot injury that he didn’t
even know he had until the team discovered the fracture during a
post-draft physical. The Warriors could turn to him as a backup point
guard behind Poole. Like Baldwin, however, it’ll be hard for the
20-year-old to earn a consistent spot in the rotation.