SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors officially added a new member to their bench on Monday, one day before they left for a two-game trip to Japan. In fact, the newest member is the one who played seven of his seasons with the Warriors over two stints ago and contributed to four of his NBA championship wins.
Andre Iguodala penned for his 19th and final season in the NBA on Monday. His mentorship has been praised, but offering Steve Kerr to play on the court is far from over. There is no set number of games Iguodala will play or an exact time limit. Jumping back into the peloton made the 38-year-old realize he wasn’t as sick as he once thought.
He also emphasized honoring Rick Celebrini, the Warriors’ director of sports medicine and performance. He would probably have parted with his sneakers for good.
Used as the Warriors’ ultimate weapon off the bench, Iguodala’s combination of play and additional pseudo-coach can be overwhelming at times. That’s beyond the box score. Whether playing with them, watching over them, or coaching them, Iguodala is very tall in the Warriors’ new-looking second unit.
Perhaps even more so than the group that played major roles in Golden State and brought the title home to The Bay last season.
“We have had the luxury of having some young players playing and we signed Donte to a really good deal in the off-season. [DiVincenzo]JaMychal and [Green]Iguodala said at the Chase Center on Monday. [Moody] It looks really good.Clearly we have high hopes [Jonathan] Cuminga.
“There’s really good depth that doesn’t have to put too much pressure on Steph. [Curry]clay [Thompson], [Andrew] Wiggins and we are still fine. My Unit 2 seems to be getting a little stronger.
“It’s not knocking what we had. But before last year’s game, I had to say, ‘Okay, today Steph needs to be Superman.’ I don’t think it’s necessary. He’ll still be him, but I think it’ll be an added luxury for us.
Will his head coach agree?
“Let’s see,” said Carr. “I think last year’s Unit 2 was pretty special. [Otto Porter Jr.] When [Gary Payton II] It was a great season. [Nemanja Bjelica] You did great things for us. It certainly looks different, but I like the talent level.
“Among Moses and JK, [James Wiseman], [Jordan Poole], we got a lot of guys with a lot of ability. But that ability must be matched by your knowledge and understanding of the game. That’s the real challenge for all these young people. ”
The challenge for Kerr and the rest of his coaching staff is figuring out what the best combinations are and who play best together. There is none. Including starters and quite a few celebrities.
Porter and Payton were able to combine multiple Warriors with different skill sets. For one, he’s a 6-foot-8 forward who can stretch the floor, shoot from his range for three points, add rebounds, and always keep the Warriors flowing as the ultimate plus-minus king. Already for one he’s a 6-foot-3 guard, an absolute game-changer on defense, and played the role of the Warriors’ dunker in his unique game.
Poole will bear the brunt of the Warriors’ points off the bench as the sixth man. He’ll still start when Curry and Thompson need a break, and could end up being his second-best scorer for the Warriors. It’s never an expected stretch. Weisman, Kuminga and Moody all bring youth, athleticism and top talent.
These inexperienced questions have a reason. However, both Kuminga and Moody contributed to the playoffs for the winning team at his 19th year. Wiseman is the eldest of his three brothers and he is 21 years old. First training camp experiencethe reviews were even better than the Warriors had hoped for.
Green was the veteran presence needed for such a young group and was brought in to bring his grit and honed style and demeanor. he would be happy to do so. One of the players who stood out to Iguodala early on was his one free agent general manager, Bob Myers, and the rest of his front office have their sights set on that. I was.
In the first four years of his career, DiVincenzo has been a bench player, starter, champion, injury and trade. He looks like the next in a long line of players who have re-established themselves with the Warriors, and Iguodala can see why that could easily be the case.
“He’s the guy I naturally like—I’m going to feed him on purpose,” Iguodala said. gives him as many opportunities as he can, and it helps others see what he can do as well.”
Carr fully agrees.
“Yeah, Donte is a perfect fit for our team with the way we play,” Kerr said. “He’s got really good feel. He’s a great shooter, a really good ballhandler, a passer and a playmaker. I’m thrilled to have Donte.”
“He can make a big impact on our team this year.”
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The Warriors’ new second unit is younger, more explosive, and full of top-end talent, bringing additional elements to the team that will soon make Opening Night brighter and brighter. Will it be better than before the season? Iguodala thinks it could be true.
In the eyes of the coach, you have to see what happens.
