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Golden State Warriors: Jessup shows flashes in Summer League finale

By Peter O'Keefe

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 08: General manager Bob Myers of the Golden State Warriors looks on courtside during the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2019 NBA Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 08, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 08: General manager Bob Myers of the Golden State Warriors looks on courtside during the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2019 NBA Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 08, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors ended their 2021 NBA Summer League with an eight-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, surrendering a 17-point lead as they were outscored by 21 in the fourth quarter.

It was a disappointing albeit fairly meaningless end to the campaign, but not before fans were treated to an early blitz from Justinian Jessup.

While not many eyes were on him, former second-round pick Justinian Jessup was certainly one of the several players that stood out.

On the whole, much of the Warriors’ focus in Summer League had been centered on rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. However, it also provided fans with the first opportunity to see what Jessup would look like within the Warriors system.

The Warriors took Jessup with the 51st pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, but he spent all last season developing his game in Australia’s NBL for the Illawarra Hawks.

Coming into the Warriors system, he seemed to struggle early on during the California Classic, finding it difficult to adjust to the higher speed, more athletic nature of the game. But from that point, Jessup began to find his rhythm and displayed much of the skillset Warriors fans were hoping to see.

His incremental improvement was brought to action during the first quarter against the Lakers, knocking down three of his four three-point attempts en route to 13 points in the first seven minutes of the game.

Jessup’s short-term future may still be up in the air, but perhaps that first quarter could be the taste of what’s to come for him in a Warriors uniform. Ideally, he’s the 3-and-d type that could be very valuable within Steve Kerr and the Warriors system.

Jessup displayed that his shot is NBA quality, shooting 42.9 percent from deep in Summer League on nearly six attempts per game.

The question marks remain on whether he can become a competent NBA defender, and even increase his ball-handling and playmaking skills to add another element to his game.

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For the moment it seems Jessup is likely to return to Illawarra and the NBL, fast-forward 12 months and he may well be ready to contribute for the Warriors at the NBA level.

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