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Good Morning Dub Nation,
Here’s an interesting stat from the Golden State Warriors’ 116-113 victory against the Sacramento Kings: two-way players Anthony Lamb and Ty Jerome played more minutes (16 min and 12 min, respectively) than all three Warriors lottery picks of Jonathan Kuminga (9 min), Moses Moody (9 min), and James Wiseman (Did Not Play).
The struggles of Golden State’s young core does not bode well for their “two timelines” approach, prompting people to question if the team should give their highly-touted prospects the experience needed to grow through the NBA G League.
In an interview with 95.7 The Game, Warriors general manager Bob Myers discussed this possibility for the former second overall pick Wiseman and the former seventh overall pick Kuminga.
“I think it’s always an option, I know that in some people’s minds it’s a huge thing to do, I guess I don’t view it the same,” Myers said. “If they go down there and do a couple games and come back, or more, it’s becoming more commonplace.
“They just need to play, both of them need to play. If they’re not getting the appropriate minutes with the NBA, that discussion will come up. If it makes sense, we’ll talk to Jama [Mahlalela], we’ll talk to Steve [Kerr], we’ll talk to the coaching staff and Kenny [Atkinson] and find out of they think that’s the best course, they’re the ones working with these guys every day.”
“I do know on a simple level, if you’re young and you’re not playing, it’s hard to get better. You’d like to play NBA minutes, but that’s not the situation.”
Now in his third year, Wiseman is averaging 7.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game. He began the season as the first center off the bench for the Warriors, but his recent struggles have caused head coach Steve Kerr to sit him out during their most recent game.
Kuminga’s playing time has also been sporadic to begin this season. He is averaging 14.0 minutes per game and failed to get on the court in three of the Warriors’ eleven games. During the matchup against the Kings, the plan was for Kuminga to have a bigger role in the rotation, however he finished the game with just nine minutes of playing time.
The upside is obvious for both of the former lottery picks. At 21-years-old, Wiseman has shown flashes of his potential due to his combination of physically imposing size and athleticism. At 20-years-old, Kuminga shows plenty of raw talent as one of the most explosive young players in the league right now. However, their inexperience shows on the court especially among the seasoned, battle-tested veterans in the Warriors’ starting lineup.
G League time may not sound ideal for two players that are deemed to be significant pieces of the team’s future, but it may be necessary to properly mature their game.
Here are the rest of today’s stories:
In case you missed it from Golden State of Mind:
- Steph Curry remains the Warriors’ sole timeline
- Curry shoots down Kings, losing streak
- Jordan Poole’s puppy stars in pre-game
- Last Two Minute Report reveals Kings got screwed. Twice.
- Jordan Poole’s second-half start was to ‘see if he could get going’
Other Warriors News:
- Myers: Wiseman, Kuminga G League stint ‘always an option’ (NBC Sports Bay Area)
- Steph Curry, Steve Kerr confident Jordan Poole will get out of ‘funk’ (NBC Sports Bay Area)
- Why Warriors remain confident in James Wiseman, according to Bob Myers (NBC Sports Bay Area)
- NBA Twitter reacts to Stephen Curry’s 47-point game vs. Sacramento: ‘You cannot have an MVP discussion without Steph in it’ (Yahoo Sports)
- Kawakami: Bob Myers on the Warriors at 4-7, Jordan Poole, James Wiseman and more — ‘We’re not going to overreact’(The Athletic)
NBA News:
- How Zion Williamson tuned out the body shamers and came back stronger (FOX Sports)
- Paolo Banchero Is A Veteran Masquerading As A Rookie (Youtube)
- Doc Rivers wouldn’t be a ‘fall guy’ if the Sixers fired him (SB Nation)
- Defensive Player Ladder: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Marcus Smart start on top (NBA)
- Dwight Howard to play for Taiwan’s Taoyuan Leopards (ESPN)
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