Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Thursday, May 23rd.
It wouldn’t be the NBA offseason without hypothetical debates about teams from different eras. On the latest episode of The Big Podcast, Shaq and Draymond Green debate who would win the hypothetical matchup between Green’s Golden State Warriors and Shaq’s Los Angeles Lakers. While Shaq argues nobody on Golden State could guard him, Green counters by saying the Warriors’ defensive scheme and modern day style of play would be effective enough to mitigate the Diesel’s dominance.
Draymond Green says that if the championship-winning Warriors were to play Shaq’s Lakers, he would not allow Shaq to get the ball
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 22, 2024
Shaq: “Who guarding Kobe?”
Draymond: “Klay”
Shaq: “ ”
( @bigpodwithshaq / https://t.co/rYZwqlcCGO) pic.twitter.com/6YG0uak4Us
The entire episode is worth a listen as Green shares his insight on a variety of topics from the NBA playoffs to if he would ever leave Golden State to ring chase, as well as the possibility of ever playing with LeBron James.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Thursday, May 23rd:
Stephen joins @MagicJohnson at 10x All-NBA.
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 23, 2024
A congratulations from the man himself ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/CW2R6cRyEB
There is, however, one adjustment made by Kerr that is being considered for, well, a readjustment: The increased emphasis on offensive rebounding.
“We put a premium on crashing the offensive boards this year, and that may have hurt our transition defense,” Kerr said. “We have to study that. We’re a great offensive rebounding team, but our transition defense from last year to this year was much worse.
“We have to examine that. We may have to change that – not necessarily our strategy, but maybe our execution of that. Be more considerate about where we crash from and how often.”
Which brings us back to Murray. There was a brief time when he was a terrific defender. His lone brilliant defensive season was with the San Antonio Spurs in 2017-18, when he posted a spectacular 98.7 rating – tops among all guards – and was voted to the All-Defensive second team.
That Dejounte Murray, a two-way star, would be a godsend to the Warriors.
That Dejounte Murray hasn’t been seen in six years.
Murray has not been the same defender since tearing his right ACL in a preseason game in October 2018, less than five months after his only appearance on the All-Defensive team roster.
Murray would upgrade Golden State’s offense while being a liability to a defense that must improve. The thought of trading for him is more attractive than what the Warriors would see upon taking a deeper look.
Warriors pre-draft workouts for Thurs, 5/23:
— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) May 22, 2024
Coleman Hawkins (Illinois)
Antonio Reeves (Kentucky)
Payton Sandfort (Iowa)
Coleman Hawkins is an interesting name to keep an eye on. Versatile big. Played at Illinois with Podz. Played at Prolific Prep in Napa. From Sac area.
Irving also acknowledged he was especially eager to get off to a good start after seeing Edwards’ TNT interview immediately after the Timberwolves’ Game 7 win over the Denver Nuggets to earn the right to meet the Mavs. Edwards gleefully declared that he would get the assignment of guarding Irving.
“He said it right then and there, and I think the whole world was looking like, ‘OK, better know what you’re talking about,’” Irving said. “And I respect that. That no-fear mentality that he has is why I love him as a competitor and why I love him as a person. But when we’re on that court, I know he’s going to give his all and I’m going to give him my all.”
25. Jabari Smith Jr.
Age: 21 | Top 100 ranking: 93 | Overall score: 28.5
13.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 blocks, 53.7 eFG%, 76 GP
Reason for hope: Picture Aaron Gordon, except give him Jaden McDaniels’s arms and a silky jump shot. That’s the promise of Smith, who combines two of the most valuable commodities in today’s game: length and shooting. The 21-year-old forward can be a menace across the defensive spectrum, on the ball and off it, and his shooting ability (36 percent from 3 and 81 percent from the free throw line in 2023-24) suggests untapped offensive potential. Even if Smith doesn’t become a superstar, it’s easy to imagine him as a game-breaking role player on a championship team. That gets the people going, too.
Reason for doubt: It’s not a great sign when a top-three pick begins winnowing his role in just his second season, as Smith did on the up-and-coming Rockets. Smith’s ultimate destiny—especially on a team with so many young mouths to feed—may be as a streamlined offensive finisher and strong defender. There’s no shame in that, but the offense is still somewhat theoretical, and many metrics suggest Smith isn’t even very impactful on the other end.
The complete voting results for the 2023-24 Kia All-NBA Team: pic.twitter.com/KrG4Fjc9pW
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 22, 2024
Jackson-Davis was widely regarded as one of the steals of the 2023 NBA Draft, having been selected 57th overall by the Warriors. He played in 68 games for Golden State, averaging 7.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks. While his stats don’t jump off the page, his contributions were crucial, especially as the team’s starting center during their late-season push for the Play-In Tournament. Jackson-Davis asserted his presence around the rim on both ends of the floor, aiding the Warriors to a 9-2 finish to the season.
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