HONOLULU — Here are five observations from the Warriors’ preseason-opening 91-90 win over the Clippers on Saturday afternoon in Hawaii.
Three times in the final 11 seconds, the Warriors designed an inbounds to get Lindy Waters III curling on the move for a look at a game-winning 3. The first two passes were deflected back out of bounds by the Clippers.
The Warriors then briefly went away from Waters. Reece Beekman went off-script and drove for an off-balance floater in an attempt to tie it. He missed. The Clippers knocked the loose ball out of bounds. After the whistle, a resting Steph Curry, ready to get the organization’s postgame travel plans moving, yelled instruction from the sideline: only 3s. Nobody wants overtime.
So they went back to Waters, who’d already hit four 3s in his brief court time. Quinten Post and Gui Santos lined up a pair of screens. Santos picked off Waters’ man. Waters curled into a 26-footer to end it.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, loaded with draft picks and talent, didn’t have the necessary room for Waters as they rearranged their roster this summer. The Warriors took advantage of that numbers game, flipping the 52nd pick in this year’s draft to get him in the door on a non-guaranteed $2.2 million contract.
Waters profiles as the 13th man in a crowded rotation, but he’s a near lock to make the roster and appears more than ready to step into a rotation slot if the opportunity presents. He did so at various points with the Thunder the last couple of seasons and, in his Warriors debut, nailed five 3s in 15 minutes, including the dagger.
“He’s more than just a shooter,” Steve Kerr said. “He has good size. He’s more than just a spot-up guy. You saw on that last one. He came off a pindown. He’s a good shooter off movement. He also understands the game well. We’re thrilled to have him.”
Without Andrew Wiggins, who missed the first week with sickness and sat on the bench Saturday with a mask, the Warriors were able to get a look at Jonathan Kuminga as the starting small forward next to Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
It’s a jumbo frontcourt with defensive potential but modern offensive concerns, considering the lack of spacing.
“Last year, we didn’t feel comfortable going that route,” Kerr said. “We’d love to play Draymond at the four. Trayce gives us a shot blocker next to him. We want to play JK. If he’s ready for the three and it works with those guys, then we’ll see. If not, we’ll adapt. But now’s the time to try.”
Curry and De’Anthony Melton started in the backcourt. That five-man group played the first seven minutes together and was outscored 17-12. Despite pleas from Kerr entering the season to protect the ball better in transition, they were sloppy early and missed some open 3s.
“Not great,” Kerr said. “But it’s preseason for everyone. We want to keep looking at it. All three guys are talented players. You want to be able to play your best players together on the floor, but it has to click. We’ll keep trying.”
Their nicest sequence came toward the end of their stint together. Curry jumped a pass for a steal and both Jackson-Davis and Kuminga ran the floor well, generating a fast break dunk from Curry to Jackson-Davis to Kuminga.
Kerr took all five starters out seven minutes into the game, replacing them with this second unit: Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Gary Payton II, Kyle Anderson and Kevon Looney.
That meant, in this initial preseason peek, Moses Moody opened as the 11th man despite Klay Thompson’s departure and Wiggins’ absence. No matter how the picture changes, Moody can’t seem to grab a definite rotation spot.
But Moody did what he often does, producing when finally given the opportunity. In an extended second-quarter stint, he had a back cut for a layup, two quick-release 3s, a block and a steal. He was a team-high plus-11 in eight first-half minutes. The buzz out of training camp was how well Moody had been playing — and scoring — all week in Hawaii.
25 — That’s how many 3s the Warriors attempted in the first half. Kerr has said all week he wants to be a fast-paced team that gets up a high volume of 3s. In their first 24 minutes together, their rotation players combined to take more than a 3 per minute. They made only five of them.
Kerr on the Melton and Curry backcourt combo: “They look great together. They look for each other. De’Anthony is a really good shooter and also a playmaker. He gets into the mix on everything defensively. I’m a big fan.”
Melton appears to be the early favorite for the starting shooting guard spot.