- Andre Iguodala is traveling with the Warriors on their road trip, but he’s not expected to play against the Clippers (Sunday) or Suns (Tuesday), according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). Iguodala is still dealing with swelling around his right knee, although it’s not considered serious.
Before he became the controlling owner of the Kings, Vivek Ranadive was a minority stakeholder in the Warriors, and he still has a “stubborn fascination” with his old team, writes Marc Stein at Substack. According to Stein, there’s buzz in league circles that a pair of Warriors assistants – Mike Brown and Kenny Atkinson – will be among the candidates who receive consideration for the Kings’ head coaching job if the team doesn’t retain Alvin Gentry beyond this season.
Gary Payton II had plenty of defensive role models growing up, starting with his Hall of Fame father, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. That helped him develop a mindset that he has carried with him to all his NBA stops, including the Warriors, where he has carved out a role as a disruptive presence off the bench.
Playing on a partially guaranteed contract, Payton has been an important contributor to Golden State’s 15-2 start. He brings a brashness to his defensive approach, along with a willingness to take on the opponent’s best scorer, priding himself in playing the old-school defense he watched as a child.
“The league already made it where guys don’t like to be touched,” he said. “So I’m just gon’ touch ’em. It’s that simple. As you can see … a lot of guys don’t like to be touched. Nobody touches them. Nobody’s in their face. They let them do what they want to do. I’m not about to let you sit here and size me up. No. I’m not about to let you do that. You gon’ go one way. If not, you gon’ get up off that ball. And it’s gon’ be hard for you to get it back. By the time you get it back, you gon’ be tired and you gon’ settle. Let’s go.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Whenever James Wiseman returns from meniscus surgery, Golden State will have one of the best center rotations in the league, contends Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. The position is currently being held down by Kevon Looney, Draymond Green and Nemanja Bjelica, and the addition of Wiseman will give the group a little of everything. “He brings a whole different look to our team from a size standpoint and from a vertical standpoint,” Looney said of Wiseman. “He’s able to score at a high level down in the post. He’s a natural scorer. So, he’ll give a different look with his athleticism, being able to block shots and play above the rim. I’m excited to see him get out there. We play two different styles.”
- It’s easy for Looney to get overlooked with all the talent the Warriors have, but he has figured out how to complement his more famous teammates, observes Nekias Duncan of Basketball News.
- Klay Thompson has been impressed with the progress of third-year guard Jordan Poole, who is currently filling his spot in the starting lineup, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “He’s playing way above where he was picked at 26,” Thompson said. “He’s looking like he should have been a lotto pick.”
Warriors center James Wiseman still hasn’t been fully cleared to participate in scrimmages and it remains unclear when that will happen, head coach Steve Kerr said today (Twitter link via Nick Friedell of ESPN).
Although Wiseman’s recovery from meniscus surgery is moving a little slowly, there’s nothing wrong structurally with his knee, according to Kerr, who told reporters that the club simply wants to be patient with the former No. 2 overall pick. Golden State has a league-best 15-2 record without Wiseman available, so there’s certainly no rush to get him back.
Here are a few more Warriors-related notes:
- Kerr confirmed on Tuesday that Klay Thompson was able to do everything at practice today and the team is just focused now on building up his strength and endurance. December 20 and 23 have been cited as possible target dates for Thompson’s return, but Kerr said that the team isn’t circling any specific games and will make the decision based on what Klay and the training staff think (Twitter links via Friedell).
- Thompson said today that his scrimmages so far have featured four-minute quarters — he plans to eventually ramp up to 12-minute quarters in the coming weeks, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- Andre Iguodala, who has missed the Warriors’ last three games with a right knee ailment, didn’t practice today and has been ruled out of Wednesday’s game vs. Philadelphia. However, the swelling in Iguodala’s knee has gone down and he should resume on-court work within the next few days, Kerr told reporters, including Slater (Twitter link).
- Assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, who has been away from the team recovering from a leg injury, was able to attend the Warriors’ coaching meeting this morning for the first time in a while (Twitter link via Slater). He’s still not ready to rejoin the club in the building or on the sidelines.
- The Warriors’ success this season has been spearheaded by a defense that leads the NBA in defensive rating by two full points (100.0, compared to the Clippers’ 102.0). In a story for The Athletic, Slater takes a look at how increased accountability from Golden State’s youngsters, veterans, and coaches has contributed to the club’s strong play on that side of the ball.
Draymond Green is playing with renewed vigor and the Warriors forward is aiming for another Defensive Player of the Year award, ESPN’s Nick Friedell writes. “Most importantly, I want to win, I want to be a Defensive Player of the Year again, and I want to be an All-Star again,” Green said. “And that is motivating me because a lot of people had counted me out. Same mistake people made before when I first came into the league — but a lot of people doubted me, and doubted me again. And that’s fuel to the fire.” Green won the DPOY award in 2017.
- Warriors coach Steve Kerr reacted with feigned surprise regarding a report that Klay Thompson had received full medical clearance to practice. “I don’t know where that came from,” Kerr said, according to a tweet from Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. However, Kerr didn’t deny the report, Poole added in another tweet. The Athletic’s Anthony Slater said Kerr was trying to protect Thompson from media attention. If Thompson doesn’t participate in all team portions of practice, he could theoretically skip any required media requirements, which is Klay’s preference.
Klay Thompson has been cleared to fully participate in Warriors‘ practices and is moving toward a return the week before Christmas, according to Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Thompson spent the past week participating in five-on-five scrimmages while the team was on a road trip, and sources tell the authors that he looked good. The scrimmages involved free agent players such as Dante Exum as well as Thompson’s older brother, Mychel.
Thompson hasn’t played since injuring his left ACL during the 2019 NBA Finals, which was nearly 900 days ago. He was prepared to return last season, but suffered a right Achilles tear during a workout. He has fully recovered from both injuries and is now working his way back into game shape.
The Warriors plan to use the next month as a “training camp” experience for Thompson, according to Charania and Slater. Intensity will be heightened throughout the scrimmages to help get him ready for game action.
Over the past month, Thompson has been participating in two-on-two and three-on-three drills with an increased willingness to perform in front of cameras. People who have watched him play say he’s shooting the ball as well as ever and has retained most of the physical aspects of his game, although he has been getting tired quickly.
The Warriors plan to have him make his season debut in a home game, which Charania and Slater note provides a few easy target dates. It appears he will play either December 20 against Sacramento or December 23 against Memphis, ahead of a nationally televised game Christmas Day in Phoenix. If Thompson isn’t ready by then, Golden State has a December 28 home game against Denver.
- Jordan Poole has become a dangerous scorer for the Warriors, especially on the nights that Stephen Curry doesn’t play, notes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Poole has expanded his offensive capabilities in his third NBA season, and coach Steve Kerr recognizes the difference in his game. “He’s physically stronger,” Kerr said. “He’s able to absorb contact. He’s just got more confidence. You think about his first year, if he had a clear lane to the rim, he could dunk the ball, but it now looks like he’s getting up 6 inches higher. Athletically, he’s much improved from two years ago. That extra power and bounce is really paying off.”
- Warriors swingman Andre Iguodala will miss his third straight game today because of a swollen right knee and the team isn’t sure how long he might be sidelined, Slater adds. “He said (the swelling) is better today,” Kerr said Friday. “But just given where he is in his career, age-wise, it’ll be a day-to-day thing.”
Ahead of tonight’s marquee contest against the Nets, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told Allie LaForce of TNT (Twitter video link) that long-injured shooting guard Klay Thompson partook in his first five-on-five practice since tearing his Achilles last year.
Thompson had already participated in several three-on-three practices at this point, according to LaForce, who noted that five-on-five workouts marked the “next step” for Thompson’s recuperation. A Christmas Day return for Thompson has long been targeted. Without him, the Warriors are a league-leading 12-2, thanks in large part to the MVP caliber play of Thompson’s backcourt mate Stephen Curry.
It’s been a rough two years for Thompson. The former five-time All-Star and three-time champion first missed the entire 2019/20 NBA season due to a torn ACL, then tore his Achilles before the 2021/22 season.
LaForce added that injured Golden State center James Wiseman, meanwhile, has yet to participate in five-on-five workouts with the club. Wiseman suffered a season-ending right meniscus tear last season. He was cleared to begin practicing with the club earlier this month. LaForce cautioned that this isn’t necessarily an indicator that Wiseman would return to the floor for Golden State after Thompson. Wiseman was drafted with the second pick out of Memphis last year.
- The Warriors view Jonathan Kuminga, the No. 7 overall pick, as a defensive weapon in the short run and a potential two-way centerpiece in the future, according to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. Kuminga has played a total of 26 minutes off the bench the last two games. “I have no doubt in my mind that he can check just about anybody,” Draymond Green said.
Two of the NBA’s biggest stars – and former teammates – have been named the Players of the Week for November 8-14, with Warriors guard Stephen Curry earning the Western Conference honor and Nets forward Kevin Durant taking it home in the East (Twitter link).
Curry’s Warriors lost in Charlotte on Sunday, but they still have the NBA’s best overall record at 11-2 after going 3-1 in the last week. Curry averaged 34.8 PPG, 7.8 APG, and 2.3 SPG on .489/.414/.931 shooting in those four games, including a 50-point, 10-assist outburst vs. Atlanta last Monday.
Curry beat out Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic, Luguentz Dort, Paul George, Nikola Jokic, and Chris Paul, the West’s other nominees, for the Player of the Week award (Twitter link).
Durant’s Nets also won three of four games in the last week and now rank second in the Eastern Conference at 10-4. Durant averaged 32.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 4.5 APG in Brooklyn’s last four games, with an otherworldly shooting line of .629/.526/.912.
The other nominees for the Eastern Conference’s Player of the Week award were LaMelo Ball, Montrezl Harrell, and three pairs of teammates — Malcolm Brogdon and Myles Turner (Pacers), Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan (Bulls), and Darius Garland and Evan Mobley (Cavaliers) (Twitter link).