The Golden State Warriors play their first Las Vegas Summer League game on Friday, with a myriad of storylines surrounding the NBA champions.
While overreaction to Summer League games can be fraught with danger, Warriors fans will be excited as the team’s young talent prepare to showcase their skills.
Given Golden State’s offseason to date, and their obvious faith in their recent lottery picks, Summer League may mean more for the Warriors than most other teams.
Here are six storylines to follow as the Golden State Warriors prepare for the 2022 Las Vegas Summer League where they’ll play at least four games.
Firstly, a couple of honorable mentions. Gui Santos showed plenty in the Warriors first California Classic game last week, going head-to-head with Sacramento’s fourth overall pick, Keegan Murray.
The Brazilian will be a player to watch in Summer League, however, it remains unlikely that he’ll be a part of the Warriors roster in the short term (next season).
Santos was seen as a draft-and-stash player in the same vein as Justinian Jessup. Now 24 years of age, Jessup was drafted by the Warriors with the 51st pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
The 6’7″ wing probably hasn’t shown enough consistent output at this stage, meaning time may be running out and that subsequently, good performances in Summer League are imperative.
Let’s get into the six major storylines.
6. Can Quinones be an upgrade on Chiozza?
A talking point flying under the radar – Golden State signing 6’5″ guard Lester Quinones to a two-way contract. He essentially replaces Chris Chiozza who played 34 games for the Warriors last season.
Quinones is eligible to play in 50 regular-season games with Golden State next season. His development, starting with Summer League, will be interesting as the next year continues.
The Warriors will want to rest their star, experienced guards in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson fairly regularly next season. This means Quinones could see some playing time, unlike a player like Santos who isn’t actually contracted at this stage.
5. Does Weatherspoon push for a primary roster spot?
After initially signing a ten-day contract with the Warriors, a strong performance on Christmas Day acted as a catalyst for Quinndary Weatherspoon’s upgrade to a two-way spot.
Having played just three seasons in the NBA, the 25-year-old is still eligible to be on a two-way deal next season. But with the departure of Gary Payton II and some roster spots still available, some believe Weatherspoon could push his way onto the 15-man roster.
That starts with a solid outing in Summer League. Although there’ll be more exciting players on show, Weatherspoon’s performances will be an interesting watch.