Wright Fighting to Stand Out in Second Season
Marcus Thompson II, Mercury News
Based on how training camp has gone, doing so will require an ongoing effort. Wright is competing with rookie Anthony Randolph for minutes in the backup power forward spot. Though Warriors coach Don Nelson still deemed it an "interesting competition," he said Tuesday that Wright is behind in the race. "It hasn't been close," Nelson said. "Brandan's got a bad toe right now, and that's held him back. But it hasn't been close so far." Don Nelson Says Anthony Randolph is Ahead of Brandan Wright in the Warriors Rotation It hasn't been a stellar training camp for Warriors forward Brandan Wright, and it didn't get any better for him on Tuesday. One look out onto the court at the Warriors' practice facility and it was clear: Rookie Anthony Randolph was scrimmaging with the first unit and Wright, now in his second season, was playing with the second team. Not good. For Wright, that is.
Matt Steinmetz, Golden State Warriors Examiner
Hopefully Wright's performance yesterday against the Blazers is a sign of things to come. He's had a full year in the system plus an entire offseason to prepare himself for serious playing time on a team that needs athletic big men. This will be his big chance to show he can play in this league and put up numbers on a consistent basis. Last year, in his spotty PT, sometimes he looked like he'd be a nice piece in the youth movement, other times he looked like a bust. This year he needs to bring it consistently or Nellie will bench him because there's this other guy, the new hype, Anthony Randolph. When he steps on the court expect Warriors fans to have the same sort of excitement and anticipation as they did last year when Brandan stepped on the court. When Brandan steps on the court, he's old news, and the buzz of being the rookie is gone. This year, he'll have to create that buzz with his play. Randolph is vying for the same minutes as Wright. This should be good for both of them. Each guy pushes the other to get better. Randolph has gotten all the buzz this offseason as the better of the two with his performances in the summer leagues. Perhaps when Nellie said he'd be playing the young guys more, he was referring more to Randolph. Thoughts?