Back from a week in paradise, the real work begins for the Golden State Warriors.
Their preseason trip to the north shore of Oahu featured five practices, one exhibition loss to the Clippers — and a traditional Hawaiian luau, complete with fire dancers and plenty of leis.
“Overall, a really good week in Hawaii,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Now we’ve got to build on it.”
They continue their preseason slate on the mainland Tuesday night when the Lakers visit Chase Center in the Warriors’ first game in front of their home fans since the end of last season.
Here are three things to keep an eye on:
Growing pains
Despite the luxurious destination — the Ritz-Carlton Turtle Bay — Draymond Green described this training camp as one of the most taxing he’s experienced under Kerr.
That’s because, in a sense, Kerr is trying to teach an old dog new tricks.
It’s not just Green, though the 36-year-old forward has arguably the biggest adjustment to make. The motion offense that was a staple of the Warriors’ golden years and typically featured Green or another center in the low post is gone in favor of a five-out system that stretches the floor.
Its debut in the 103-101 loss to the Clippers didn’t exactly get a ringing endorsement. The Warriors connected on only six of 33 attempts from deep and turned it over 16 times.
One detractor described the showing as “pretty nasty” and another said it was “a little funky.” Actually, that was feedback straight from the floor — speedy new point guard Brandon Williams and backcourt mate De’Anthony Melton, speaking to reporters after the game.
“Spacing, flow — all that stuff needs to improve,” Kerr said.
Green was asked if he could feel the difference in the amount of time he spent on the perimeter.
“I definitely feel it,” he said. “Whether I like it or not, it’s gonna happen.”
Steph Curry, who finished with 10 points in 12 minutes, said there’s been “clarity” on what they’re trying to do offensively. “It’s just, you need reps at it,” he said.
“It is hard to assess when you’re playing six-minute stretches. This is about reps, film, getting in shape and increasing the expectation of execution every preseason game we have.”
Yaxel’s debut
A new offensive system isn’t the only thing the Warriors are breaking in this preseason.
They have a new rookie who they are counting on to do big things right off the bat.
Fans will get their first in-person look at Yaxel Lendeborg, the 11th overall pick in the draft this past June, whose big personality and polished game have already made an impression.
Lendeborg was named Summer League MVP and since arriving in camp has earned high praise from Green, who was famously harsh on their last draft pick out of Michigan.
His preseason debut didn’t go so well, finishing with four points on 1-of-6 shooting in 19 minutes. Kerr specifically called him out for passing up a layup to try to make one more pass to Charles Bassey that turned into a steal and three points on the other end.
“We need Yaxel to have an aggressive scoring mentality,” Kerr said. “That’s something that we’re going to work with him on. Because he can make plays and he can score.”
Kerr said he believes the 24-year-old can be “our lead offensive threat” when Curry is resting.
“We don’t want anything passive,” Curry said. “We want him applying pressure on both ends of the floor but especially offensively. It’s not gonna be perfect. He’s gonna make mistakes. I think he hopefully can thrive off the fact that he can play through those.”
A new Podz
The prevailing opinion from those on the island seemed to be that one player was heads and tails the most improved from last season: Brandin Podziemski.
The fourth-year guard showed up with a new haircut and determination to take his game to the next level. Curry said that he was the “same player, same talent. Just looks like he’s in better shape. He looks like he’s a little stronger, little quicker.”
Like Lendeborg, however, his play didn’t live up to the hype in the preseason opener. Podziemski finished 2-of-10 from the floor — 1-of-4 from beyond the perimeter.
The Warriors will need both young players to step up to get where they want to go this season.
