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SAN JOSE — We made it.
The Warriors’ preseason is in the books. We survived. [Confetti emoji]
We don’t need to go into the score of the final game — sufice it to say that the Warriors lost to the Lakers, again — because the scores of the exhibition season don’t matter. The Warriors’ 1-4 preseason record doesn’t matter, either.
What matters is that Golden State has a game that counts on Tuesday against the Thunder and this preseason was illuminating to how much things have changed year-over-year.
The Warriors’ preseason finale Friday was a great case study in that change.
Here’s what we learned in the loss to the Lakers:
It’s hard to see Patrick McCaw coming back to the Warriors
I still have no idea how Patrick McCaw saw his contract situation playing out after he declined not just the Warriors qualifying offer but also, reportedly, a two-year deal from the team, but I can’t imagine that being unemployed at the beginning of the season — and having a solid chance of not playing in the NBA at all this year — was part of his plan.
Alas, that’s how things have come to pass.
At the moment, it’s hard to see a circumstance where McCaw joins the Warriors anytime soon — and if he is ever back in blue and gold, it’d be closer to 2019 than Tuesday’s start of the season.
There are miscalculations, then there’s McCaw’s play.
And while McCaw was away, Alfonzo McKinnie stole his spot.
We don’t want to put too much stock into preseason games, but McKinnie — who was playing in Luxembourg and the Mexican league two years and had to pay to try out for Chicago’s G-League team after that — has looked rock-solid in serious minutes.
Solid enough to sign a two-year contract and claim the fourteenth — and likely final — spot on the Warriors’ roster.
https://twitter.com/dkurtenbach/status/1050952470002774016
McKinnie started the Warriors’ final preseason game Friday, in the place of a resting Kevin Durant, and while he didn’t shoot well (2-of-14 — woof) he was, without a doubt, an NBA-level contributor.
When playing alongside three All-Stars, all McKinnie needs to do is play with energy and heart and not do anything rash.
He did that well on Friday.
Alfonzo out here with the #SPLASH 💦
📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/eSZHFToVyY
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) October 13, 2018
His defensive versatility made him a desirable candidate for the Warriors — he can guard 2s, 3s, and 4s — but he plays within himself on offense as well. He’s not tentative, but he doesn’t feel compelled to do anything other than the simple, straightforward play. Add in his rebounding skills — that’s effort more than anything — and you have a guy who earns his minutes.
And expect him to get more than you might expect this season.
Jacob Evans isn’t comfortable — yet
I think the rookie will get there, but for the time being, he looks like he’s forcing things on the offensive end. That’s something that won’t fly in the regular season.
The Warriors didn’t draft Evans for his offense — though they certainly like his ability to put the ball on the floor and knock down an open 3-pointer. No, Evans was selected as a defensive ace, and the early returns on that end of the floor are positive.
If he can play within himself on the offensive end — the way McKinnie did Friday when playing alongside the Warriors’ starters — it portends good things for the rookie.
If not, he might be taking a few trips to Santa Cruz this season. (We should all be so lucky.)
Something to keep an eye on, for sure.
Jonas Jerebko doesn’t appear to be part of the Warriors’ regular rotation
On a night when two of the Warriors’ top wings — Durant and Andre Iguodala — rested, Jonas Jerebko was the last guy off Golden State’s bench.
That’s not just a bit fishy — it downright stinks.
Steve Kerr chalked it up to matchup issues, but that’s a hard sell for the Warriors’ coach — in the final preseason game Kerr was using all sorts of strange lineups, but not Jerebko.
To be fair, the Swede has been bad this preseason, but has he already played his way out of Kerr’s favor?
The lack of playing time Friday — in a game where he should have seen a lot of run — indicates as much.
We won’t really know until Tuesday, but one of the big offseason pickups — someone the Warriors’ coach has pushed as an impact player off the bench — doesn’t appear as if he’s in Kerr’s good graces to start the season.
Not good.
Damian Jones is going to be an alley-pop machine
After Wednesday’s game, I wrote that Kevon Looney was the Warriors’ top option at center.
I stand by that statement heading into the first game of the season.
That said, if Damian Jones can extrapolate the offensive form he exhibited on Friday night to every game he plays — hell, even half of them — that Looney-backing statement is going to look laughable. (Sorry, Kevon)
Jones was a force on the offensive end against the Lakers, as the Warriors fed him and his prodigious leaping ability with a series of alley-oops that brought the crowd to their feet.
This was Jones at his best.
https://twitter.com/dkurtenbach/status/1050944992980553728
Defensively, he’s a work in progress — with all the potential in the world — but his pick setting and rim running looked on-point against the Lakers. And for someone who only needs to provide 15 minutes — maybe 20 — a night, being solid in those areas is a major bonus.
The Warriors confirmed Friday what has been suspected for months: Jones will be the Warriors’ starting center on opening night.
His first test will be a lot tougher than his counterpart Friday — no matter how positive your option on JaVale McGee is, I think we can all agree Steven Adams is a better player.
Kerr won’t commit to any starting lineup beyond Tuesday’s, so Jones will be constantly audtioning, but he ended the preseason on a tremendous note and has a chance to carry that momentum forward in a big way.
https://twitter.com/dkurtenbach/status/1050946312638582786
Klay Thompson is an ankle breaker now?
https://twitter.com/dkurtenbach/status/1050949764089409536
I’ve been impressed with Klay Thompson’s ballhandling this preseason — he looks like an improved playmaker — but if he has a legitimate create-your-own-shot stepback, a la James Harden, he’s going to have a monster season.
Now, I don’t know if this was a legitimate ankle buster or if he just stepped on the defender’s foot (and he didn’t make it, so what does it really matter?) but, to put it bluntly, this isn’t the kind of thing we’re used to seeing from Klay.
