- Warriors executive Eric Housen has been stuck in Detroit since the middle of last week due to the league’s COVID-19 protocols, as Marcus Thompson of The Athletic details. Housen, the team’s VP of team operations, was forced into a seven-day quarantine due to contact tracing.
Second-year Warriors power forward Alen Smailagic underwent surgery today to address a minor meniscus tear in his right knee, the club announced in a press release.
According to the Warriors, Smailagic will begin the rehab process immediately. He’ll be re-evaluated in about four weeks, so we won’t see him back on the court until at least February.
The 39th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Smailagic appeared in 14 games as a rookie for Golden State, averaging 4.2 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 9.9 MPG. He has also played in 66 G League contests since the start of the 2018/19 season, recording 10.8 PPG and 4.7 RPG on 50.3% shooting in 19.8 MPG for the Santa Cruz Warriors.
While Smailagic is unlikely to be a regular rotation player for the Warriors in ’20/21 even once he gets healthy, the club still appears to be committed to his development for now. The 20-year-old is on a minimum-salary contract that runs through 2022/23, though it’s not guaranteed beyond this season.
Second-round pick Nico Mannion isn’t discouraged by the slow start to his NBA career, writes Alex Espinoza of NBC Sports Bay Area. After the Warriors took him with the 48th selection, Mannion signed a two-way contract that allows him to appear in 50 NBA games this season. He hasn’t played yet or even suited up to be on the active roster, but Mannion believes his time is coming.
“I can see myself out there on the floor,” he said. “I think I fit that style, just the quick decision-making.”
Mannion will have to earn playing time on a team that currently has five guards getting regular rotation minutes. He said he’s been making improvements in practice and is determined to be prepared when his opportunity arrives.
“They just told me to be ready,” Mannion said of the coaching staff. “If someone goes down, I’ll be there. Just trying to adjust and learn as much as I can right now. Trying to see it as a glass half full right now that I get some more time to prepare. That’s kind of how I’m looking at it.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Stephen Curry is adjusting to defenses focused primarily on stopping him now that he’s not surrounded by All-Star teammates, observes Ethan Strauss of The Athletic. Teams are using variations of the box-and-one strategy that Toronto’s Nick Nurse employed during the 2019 NBA Finals. Part of the reason those defenses have been effective is that Kelly Oubre is shooting just 4.0% (1-for-25) from three-point range.
- The Warriors are encouraging injured guard Klay Thompson to spend as much time as possible with the team, according to Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle. Thompson is in the early part of rehab after having surgery last month for his torn right Achilles tendon. “It’s important for all of us, as well as Klay himself, that he’s around this season,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Because of last year’s absence and the pandemic, and just the whole bizarre year and a half it’s been for him and our franchise, I would love to have him up here as much as possible … I want our young players to feel his presence, and I want Klay here working with our training staff and getting on the court with our team as soon as he can. I think that will be important.”
- James Wiseman is an easy choice as the league’s best rookie so far, writes Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area. The No. 2 pick is averaging 11.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in his first five NBA games.
- Draymond Green‘s season debut with the Warriors didn’t go smoothly, Nick Friedell of ESPN notes. Green didn’t make a basket in 18 minutes and failed to have a significant impact on the defensive end. He missed most of training camp, all three preseason games and the first four regular-season games due to COVID-19 protocols and a foot injury. “Draymond just looks like he’s getting his wind,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He looked like a guy who missed training camp and has been working his way to get onto the floor. It looked like an exhibition-style game for him; and that’s not a criticism, it’s just where he is physically.”
- Warriors swingman Andrew Wiggins has vastly improved his pick-and-roll output this season, writes Zach Harper of The Athletic. He is producing 116.7 points per 100 possessions as a pick-and-roll scorer thus far in 2020/21.
DECEMBER 31: Chriss underwent a successful surgery today to address his broken right fibula, the Warriors announced in a press release (Twitter link).
DECEMBER 27: Warriors center Marquese Chriss will miss the rest of the season after breaking his right fibula, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Warriors announced in a press release (Twitter link) that the official diagnosis for Chriss, whose injury occurred during a practice in Chicago, is a right syndesmosis ankle injury with a fibular fracture. The reserve big man will have surgery to address the injury this week.
Chriss played in the team’s first two games, averaging 6.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in 13.5 minutes. He was a part-time starter last year, but rookie James Wiseman has taken over as Golden State’s starting center.
The 23-year-old will receive his full salary of $1,824,003 and will be a free agent after the end of this season.
Chriss is in his second season with the Warriors after appearing in 59 games last year. A lottery pick in 2016, he was able to revive his career with Golden State after brief stays with the Rockets and Cavaliers during the 2018/19 season.
Eric Paschall has moved to a reserve role after starting the first two games of the season and seems more comfortable coming off the bench, writes Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area. The Warriors‘ second-year power forward posted 15 points in 19 minutes Sunday in Chicago, then 10 points in 13 minutes Tuesday at Detroit.
“I liked the rotation better because the way we played tonight allowed Eric to get going offensively and be more aggressive with the ball,” coach Steve Kerr said after Sunday’s game. “Playing with the second unit — we can run some things through him. We need Eric with the ball in his hands, and with that first group, it’s tough to get the ball to him.”
Because the Warriors were short-handed last season, Paschall got plenty of opportunity to showcase his skills, averaging 14.0 points and 4.6 rebounds in 60 games. He was an All-Rookie First Team selection after being taken with the 41st pick in the draft.
“I’m allowed to just play the game,” Paschall said in explaining why he likes being a reserve. “Having the ball in my hands and trying to make plays for everybody and myself. More aggressive, more opportunity with the second unit.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Stephen Curry‘s new teammates are starting to figure out how to get him the ball in the flow of the offense, observes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. Because an injury forced Curry to miss almost all of last season, most of Golden State’s roster is still learning how to play alongside him.
- James Wiseman‘s early numbers may not be what some fans expected, but he’s showing his value on offense by attacking the rim, notes Ethan Strauss of The Athletic. Strauss believes Wiseman’s inside presence and Curry’s outside shooting can be the foundation of Golden State’s offense for years to come.
- A proposed “NBA Vet Selection” rule for the G League could be a path toward getting Jeremy Lin to the Warriors, but that plan could be complicated if the league elects to play in a bubble setting, according to Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News. The rule would allow NBA teams to fill one G League roster spot with a player who has at least five years of NBA service. However, the bubble atmosphere may cause teams to keep their NBA and G League players separate, which defeats the purpose of adding Lin. Golden State was close to a deal with Lin before opening day rosters had to be finalized, but couldn’t get authorization in time from the Beijing Ducks, his last team in China.
Rookie Warriors center James Wiseman has quickly emerged as a big contributor for Golden State and an early top Rookie of the Year contender, as Tim Kawakami of The Athletic details.
Though Golden State has had an up-and-down 2-2 start, Kawakami argues that the 19-year-old No. 2 draft pick out of Memphis clearly has established himself as the most intriguing prospect among the Warriors’ young guys. “I told y’all after Day 1 that I think he’s going to be really special,” power forward Draymond Green said of Wiseman. “I had never seen James play much and so to see his skill set is, ‘Wow, it’s nice.’”
- Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has said that he is optimistic that power forward Draymond Green will appear in his first 2020/21 season game in the club’s first home game on Friday, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The Warriors have exercised their $2,161,440 third-year team option on Jordan Poole, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area (via Twitter). Poole’s rookie scale contract is now guaranteed through at least the 2021/22 season.
Golden State drafted the 6’4″ shooting guard out of Michigan with the No. 28 pick in 2019. In his rookie season, Poole averaged 8.8 PPG, 2.4 APG, 2.1 RPG and 0.6 SPG across 57 games (including 14 starts). He posted a shooting line of .333/.279/.798.
This year, with more wing rotation depth thanks to the addition of Kelly Oubre, Poole’s minutes have taken an early hit. He is currently averaging 15.0 MPG across his first four contests for the 2-2 Warriors.
The deadline for teams to exercise the third- and fourth-year team options for 2021/22 on players’ rookie scale contracts is Tuesday, December 29, meaning that clubs who have yet to finalize those decisions will have to do so today or tomorrow.
Most clubs with options to pick up have already done so, and in many cases those decisions were no-brainers. Luka Doncic (Mavericks), Ja Morant (Grizzlies), Trae Young (Hawks), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) are among the players whose 2021/22 options have been exercised, and as long as they remain on their rookie contracts, they’ll be among the best bargains in the NBA.
With the help of our tracker, here are the option decisions that have not yet been announced or reported, with Tuesday’s deadline looming:
Boston Celtics
- Romeo Langford (third year, $3,804,360)
- Robert Williams (fourth year, $3,661,976)
- Grant Williams (third year, $2,617,800)
Golden State Warriors
- Jordan Poole (third year, $2,161,440)
Los Angeles Clippers
- Mfiondu Kabengele (third year, $2,174,880)
Minnesota Timberwolves
- Jarrett Culver (third year, $6,395,160)
- Josh Okogie (fourth year, $4,087,904)
New York Knicks
- Omari Spellman (fourth year, $3,588,845)
Philadelphia 76ers
- Matisse Thybulle (third year, $2,840,160)
Washington Wizards
- Jerome Robinson (fourth year, $5,340,916)
- Troy Brown (fourth year, $5,170,564)
- Rui Hachimura (third year, $4,916,160)
- Moritz Wagner (fourth year, $3,893,618)
The fact that these option decisions haven’t been formally finalized yet doesn’t mean they won’t be easy calls. For instance, there’s no chance that the Sixers are going to decline their third-year option on Thybulle — they just haven’t made it official yet.
However, not all of these options are locked to be picked up. The Knicks, for instance, previously exercised their options on RJ Barrett and Kevin Knox but didn’t do so for Spellman. Teams almost always announce all their option pick-ups at once, so the fact that Spellman wasn’t included in that press release is a strong sign that New York will make him an unrestricted free agent in 2021.
Meanwhile, Poole’s option is the least expensive on this list and is barely worth more than the minimum, but even at that price, the Warriors have a tough decision to make. Poole has been relatively ineffective so far (.334/.277/.805 shooting in 60 games) and Golden State’s roster is expensive. The team has to determine whether it makes sense to continue investing in Poole’s development next season, or whether a minimum-salary veteran should get his spot on the ’21/22 roster.
I think most of the other options listed here – with the possible exception of Wagner’s – are more likely to be exercised than declined, but it’s possible there will be a surprise or two. It’s worth noting that turning down an option doesn’t mean the team can’t re-sign the player in 2021 free agency — it just means they can’t offer a starting salary higher than the value of the declined option.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.