The Golden State Warriors had Heat star Kendrick Nunn on their G-League roster, and they may make the same mistake with Ky Bowman.
There is no denying that the Golden State Warriors season has not gone exactly as planned. They have struggled to maintain competitiveness in many outings this season.
The most recent example of their struggle was a home loss to the East-worst Knicks. The Warriors, the worst team in the West, have had a myriad of injuries and have been terrible this season.
Last season, they were elite. With Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, there was not much room for star talent to shine outside of those developed stars. G-League guard Kendrick Nunn was absolutely dominant at that lower level yet saw little recognition.
Now, Ky Bowman, who has shown success with the Warriors on a two-way contract, will become a similar story.
However, Bowman likely won’t see a full contract from Golden State till at least the offseason. Also, it is important to note the two-way contracts limit how much a player can stay with the NBA team’s roster.
The 6-foot-1 combo guard has thrived with Golden State this season. He’s played 26 games as the Warriors have had many injuries, at times resulting in the team playing with just eight players on their active roster.
Bowman has averaged 8.6 points, 2.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game. Shooting 45.4% from the field, Bowman has been a quality player throughout his time with Golden State. At the G-League level, he’ll likely continue to explode.
In the Warriors’ organization, Nunn was dominant. However, they didn’t see his value, and he may now have a chance at Rookie of the Year in his first season at the highest level. Nunn is one of the Heat’s best players on a top Eastern Conference team.
Like Nunn did with the Warriors’ G-League affiliate, Bowman did with the Warriors. Like with Nunn, the Warriors may not give Bowman the contract he deserves. He’ll then head elsewhere and could explode like a star in the league.
He’s efficient and productive, and the Warriors need to show him that he’s worth the money this offseason.