Four Biggest Takeaways from Warriors' Summer League
The Summer League games are finally over as the Trail Blazers were crowned champions and given newly made championship rings on Sunday afternoon. Overall, the Dubs Summer League squad only won a single game which left many fans concerned. But the main goal for the team this year was to get their three young players in Moody, Wiseman, and Kuminga, valuable minutes to expand and become more comfortable in their roles for next season. And while that didn’t equate to many wins, the trio along with a few others played extremely well. Here were four takeaways from the teams’ play:
1) Moses Moody is a veteran rookie
The Warriors’ 14th pick from 2021 may only be twenty years old but he proved that he can be a real threat offensively. Moody only played in two games but managed to rack up a 34-point and a 21-point game. Both times showing his calm demeanor and ability to shoot from range while also getting himself going around the rim. His teammates both in the Summer League and in the NBA have high praise for the way he carries himself. Draymond Green via the Draymond Green Show said, “OG Moses as I like to call him, acts like a 15-year vet in the league.”
The work he puts in on his craft translates to the game as fans saw in the Summer League but also in the Dubs’ championship run. He had his moments in the regular season as well as a few games that he saw action in the early playoffs. With good size and shooting he can fill some of the roles off the bench that the Warriors needed after losing a handful of players in free agency. He has the potential to be a diamond in the rough so to speak from the 2021 draft.
2) The Wiseman and Kuminga duo are the high-flyers of the future
Wiseman’s first play after being out for several months was a lob from Jonathan Kuminga for a rim rattling dunk. The duo possesses the explosiveness to be real threats around the rim and both have great set shots from the free throw line extended. Kuminga loves what he sees from Wiseman and had this to say:
He wants to play alongside Wiseman and Moody for the next 10-15 years as they all are ready to grow and expand their roles when need be. One of Wiseman’s roles in the Summer League was being a threat around the rim. Here is a recap of his final game of the summer, the first play being an insane block:
If Wiseman can stay healthy and apply that explosiveness to all areas of his game, then he will be a serious problem in the pick and roll. Same applies to Kuminga as fans witnessed him get to the free throw line several times per game in Las Vegas. A key aspect of both of their games will be the free throws, if they can master them and stay somewhere in the 70-80 percent range then they can really make teams pay for committing fouls down low.
It has become a rare occurrence in the NBA that a championship team stacks up multiple first-round players but that is exactly what the Warriors have managed to pull off. If the trio develops the same way that Jordan Poole did throughout his first few seasons, then the NBA might be in trouble.
3) The Scouting Team/ Front Office continue to show why they are the best in the game
As I said above, it is rare that you see a championship team with this much young talent. During the Summer League, we saw an array of players take the floor. Other than the core trio that the Dubs had planned on playing, there were a few surprises. The Warriors’ 55th pick Gui Santos impressed fans with his ability to score the basketball and his overall feel for the game. The 20-year-old from Brazil appears to be yet another stash and play type of player that could see his game take a great leap playing around guys like Draymond and Wiggins in practice.
Speaking of stashed players, Patrick Baldwin Jr did not play in Vegas or the California Classic, so fans have yet to get an understanding of what his style of play looks like. He could end up being the biggest wild card of the bunch as he was picked 28th overall just like Poole and has shown from his collegiate days that he can shoot the three ball.
Lastly is Quinndary Weatherspoon and Mac McClung as both were double digit scorers in Las Vegas. Weatherspoon has the height of a guard and wingspan of a forward so the Warriors have held on to him for good reason. He also dunked his way into a highlight reel against the Celtics:
His backcourt companion in McClung is more of a question mark though. Many are quick to call him too fast paced or out of control but if they truly want to stash and develop another young playmaker, I could see why. Overall, the scouts have done a great job at finding young talent the past few years and the front office has done a great job at keeping them and believing in them alongside the core group of guys.
4) The Warriors may need to make a few moves in Free Agency
This may be a no brainer for some, but the Warriors lost a handful of guys in Free Agency this summer and will need to pick up a few more players to round out the team. Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr, JTA, Damion Lee, Bjelica and Chiozza all left for different teams which means the young guys that played in Summer League will have to pick up where they left off. They are very capable of doing so, but most fans would agree that they could use at the very least, one or two more veteran guys off the bench. The recent addition Donte DiVincenzo is a step in the right direction but there are still a few more good options out there. As I said though, I trust the Front office to make the right decisions when necessary and am only bringing this up as a precaution.
More teams will be healthy and ready to go next season, hungrier than ever to dethrone the Warriors yet again. But they have proven time and time again that they will be ready, especially after a successful year winning it all and developing young talent in the process.
(Photo credit: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)