Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green will be in the second night of the Warriors’ second straight game of the season against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on Monday night. I’m sitting down, but I have one name left. starting lineup.
Kevon Looney will be the Warriors’ starting center alongside Donte DiVincenzo, Jordan Poole, Anthony Lamb and Jonathan Cuminga. His 18th game of the season for the Warriors will be his 128th straight game in regular season for Rooney. Only Phoenix Suns winger Michal Bridges has a longer active streak at 324 games.
For a moment, though, it looked as if Rooney’s winning streak was coming to an end.
Whether Looney plays or not, the Warriors had no intention of returning center James Weisman from G League duties.
“No, not tonight,” Steve Kerr told reporters in New Orleans. “We felt it was really important for him to get a really good stretch in Santa Cruz.
Kerr then revealed that he feels Wiseman is the most important part of being with the Santa Cruz Warriors now, not Golden State. He’s not even in charge of the game.
“Practice is important,” Kerr said. “I believe that with individualized attention, like the G League players, we are more likely to progress than stop-and-start during an NBA season that is not in rotation.”
Wiseman is Moved to G League November 15th, almost a week ago. Kerr announced the team’s decision the night before Wiseman experienced three straight DNPs (not played).
The 21-year-old has sat on the bench in all four quarters in six games this season. He averaged only 13.4 minutes per game, and he hadn’t attempted more than three shots in a game since November 1. Weisman’s lifestyle has changed for his cruise to Santa, but so have his on-court opportunities in every way.
He played 25 minutes as a starting center, scoring 19 points with 11 rebounds. Weisman was efficient from the field, going 7-for-12 overall and 1-for-2 from 3-point range. However, he was whistled with five fouls and minus 13 on plus-minus was the lowest of any starter for Santa Cruz in a 111-91 loss.
“I think it’s part of the natural evolution of a young, inexperienced player to just happen to be in the league when the pandemic started and then miss a year and a half with an injury,” said Kierweisman of his journey so far. Told. “That’s it, that’s the conclusion.
“Every player needs a foundation, but if you have a player who misses all that time in the situation and hasn’t really been able to build that foundation, try to do the right thing to help him move forward. It has to be. That’s what we think.”
Related: Warriors sending Wiseman to G League is right decision for both sides
The Warriors laid the groundwork for Wiseman early in his third year as a pro, and hope long-term success far outweighs short-term headaches. His path leading up to the first few years of . There are still bumps, but everyone is crossing their fingers that the path starts to become much smoother.
His stop in Santa Cruz isn’t a wave of hellos and goodbyes. Kerr has already said he expects Wiseman to be in the G League for about 10 straight days.
An hour after the Warriors kicked off their game against the Pelicans, Wiseman will play a road game against the Salt Lake City Stars on the floor of the Maverick Center. He has a past performance to build on. Playing free and finding confidence is key to his draft pick as a former top pick.
Over time, the goal should be to fix other areas that contribute to the Warriors winning.
