The Warriors reunited for their team mini-camp on September 23, and while veterans Stephen Curry and Draymond Green did not join the team for workouts, starters Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins did.
In speaking with media about the team’s progress in practices, head coach Steve Kerr noted that the team will not hold any more formal intra-squad scrimmages during its mini-camp, Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets. Anthony Slater of The Athletic reports that Wiggins is slated to depart the mini-camp this weekend, ahead of its official end on Tuesday (Twitter link).
Although Thompson, who missed all of the 2019/20 season due to an ACL tear suffered in the 2019 NBA Finals, did partake in some elements of the mini-camp, Kerr asserted that the veteran sharpshooter would most likely not participate in 5-on-5 team workouts, per Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link).
Friedell notes in a separate tweet that center Kevon Looney, who played in just 20 games during the 2019/20 season due to various ailments, has impressed Kerr during the mini-camp. Kerr said that if Looney looks the way he did in the 2018/19 season, he anticipates that the big man will be slotted back into the rotation at a regular 20-25 minutes per game.
This spring, Looney underwent surgery to repair a core muscle injury which contributed to some of his absences during 2019/20. Looney will earn $4.8MM in 2020/21, with a $5.1MM player option for the ’21/22 season.
Meanwhile, free agent veteran swingman Jonathon Simmons was among the non-roster players who earned an invitation to the Warriors’ team mini-camp. Slater tweets that Kerr had high praise for Simmons’s performance in the mini-camp thus far, and alluded to the possibility that the free agent may have a future with Golden State.
“Possibly,” Kerr said. “We could use the length on the wing.”
Simmons most recently played for the club’s G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, in February and March.
Simmons was great with the Spurs a few years ago. Would love to see him in Golden State.
Shouldn’t be all that difficult to make the team when you’re competing with the likes of Jordan Poole, Damion Lee, Ky Bowman, Mychal Mulder, and Juan Toscano-Anderson for a roster spot. Talk about a team that’s absolutely desperate for some half-decent players to come off the bench and give them some quality minutes.
You’re talking about the roster for last year. Last year was a lost year. Durant left and Thompson was out for the year and Iguadala was gone. There’s three of your top 6 then curry went down with a broken wrist early in the season so they were picking up guys off the street corner for roster spots.
Just because a guy was on the team last year doesn’t mean he’ll be on the team this year. I expect three or four new Benchwarmers for the 21 season. Most of the guys you mentioned above are G League players. 2nd round picks or undrafted guys who happened to get playing time with the Warriors in this last year.
Jordan Poole will be on the team he was a first-round pick as will Damion Lee who has a contract for next year. Ky Bowman, Mychal Mulder, and Juan Toscano-Anderson are G League roster guys.
He would easily make the Rockets team. Its going to be very fun next year watching the Warriors blow out the old Rockets team. Remember last Christmas when those bad players beat a fully healthy Rockets team 116 to 104.
Why would you love to see Jonathan Simmons in Golden State? If the man can’t play why do you want him? He had one great half-season in San Antonio which earned him a huge contract in Orlando and then he flamed out for the next three years and several chances with several teams.
Look at the current Golden State bench… that’s why. They’ve got very little to actually spend, can’t be wasting it on one bench piece.
Bitter Westbrick?