Post-game: Warriors beat Lakers; we saw something promising from most of the new guys

Small sample size hot takes, ready set... GO

Apricot In-Game Notes

• Whew dodged a bullet there, almost recorded the NBATV version, just noticed NBCSN is casting… they have MUCH better bench coverage

• First play of the Chris Paul era… stagger screen into a reverse. Booo, I was hoping for a Spain Pick and Roll.

• You want Klay Stretch 4? Now he’s guarding AD.

• Q1.8.25. Hmm, looked like a 21 Pistol play but CP3 came back to get a down screen from Loon. Have to watch that again.

• Hahaha Klay brought it up, saw AD guarding him, step back 3 splash. CP3 next play, getting in the Warriors spirit, signals Klay to flare, force feeds him the ball for a heat check. Klay follows with two more heat checks, so his shot selection is in mid season form

• Hmmm… Podz, Wiggs, Šarić, Moody, JK

• Wiggs FTs in mid season form. JK is fighting for rebounds! D-Lo treats Šarić like a traffic cone.

• Šarić with the spacing ! Then he stones AD on the other end! Getting all the good and bad in one minute.

• JK with the REBOUND then the touchdown pass to Podz who flies in for a huge dunk — just kidding, it’s a crafty layup

• Heh heh, I did not coordinate with beli on my “crafty” label

• Podz with a charge taken and then one of his very spinny layups. I *love* the effort from Kuminga on the second effort close out on the wing, which made Prince bobble the ball and miss the 3.

• [Who did Podz just school?] Fellow rookie Hood-Schifino taken just ahead of him.

• Kuminga with an excellent block and then on the other end, a PERFECT pass to Steph on the sideline, who, to be fair, looked exactly like he was playing.

• CP3 looks like he’s been intentionally not running big-small PNR, and he’s staying in the motion system, even in end of clock situations when most players would PNR. Last play, at the end of the clock, CP3 flowed into a guard-guard slip screen with Steph for an open (for Steph) 3.

• Man, NBCSN I don’t want to see Dunleavy, show me the whole CP3 - Looney PNR damn it

• CP3 off stagger screen with Steph and Loon. Really nice pass from CP3 for flying dunk from Loon— just kidding, it’s a Basic Big Man 1 package layup.

• Q2.7.31. Another 21 Pistol play, Steph-CP3-Loon, blown up by physical D

• Q2.5.50. Absolutely classic flavor CP3-Loon PNR from the top of the key

• CP3 showing that point guard instinct to feed his players… gives up an open 7 footer to get Wiggins an open 3. (Clanked severely but it’s the thought that counts.)

• Podz really living up to his rep by flying in for a DREB on the FT. JK with a 3. Then awkward motion possession with good intentions that died… toss it to JK, he wrecking balls into the defense and draws a foul

• I *love* JK hustling in to get the errant Šarić 3.

• A bit tricky because Šarić looks better in the post rather than at the high Delay spot, but Šarić in theory is more valuable spacing out on the arc. Too early to tell of course.

• Moody with a dazzling bounce pass. Podz hits his first 3 and then injects himself? Is that supposed to be a “I have ice in my veins”? Don’t know about that. But maybe he deserves it after the crap he’s taken for the bad summer league. Then GP2 and Podz end up flying to the floor.

• Podz tries to force feed TJD for an alley oop. Bad basketball choice, good basketball-team choice. Respect.

• Kuminga racking up grade D plays and A plays. Curious how Kerr is going to weight the grades.

• Hachimura gets Podz defending him on a switch. Podz stays calm and forces Rui to hit a turnaround fadeaway.

• TRAYCE WITH THE BLOCK

• Donovan Williams can hit threes? Christian Wood trying to torture TJD, but Trayce is making him work for it

• I may be just seeing what I want to see, but I’ve seen Wood touch the ball maybe ten times and he hasn’t passed once. Until he was maybe-fouled and he frustratedly chucked it off a teammate for a turnover

• TJD grabs the steal, almost loses it, then throws a nice pass for a Jerome Robinson and-1

• Rudy Gay has been pretty stable out there. Not pressing, not doing anything too crazy. Had him once in the post reading the split cuts. He seems to have slowed with age, but maybe he can be a sturdy 4.