Warriors look good as they knock off Lakers in preseason opener

The CP3 and Kuminga possibilities look quite tantalizing...

Well well well, Golden State Warriors basketball is back after a 125-108 preseason victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Chase Center.

It’s a nice way for the Dubs to ease their toes back into competitive basketball after a long offseason of what-ifs and roster shakeup. Anytime you get bullied out of the playoffs by a division rival, it’s great to get a tiny modicum of revenge to build confidence and good habits.

There was no LeBron James, Draymond Green, or the immortal Austin Reaves last night, but there was plenty to chew over. Here’s a recap of the highlights in case you missed the game:

CP3 IS PRETTY GOOD AT BASKETBALL, EH?

If you’re like me, you’ve been poring over any clips of the future hall-of-fame point guard Chris Paul in practice alongside the greatest point guard alive Stephen Curry. After so many years of loudly and vociferously hating on Paul’s game as he was a leading antagonist against the Golden Empire, I’m trying to retrain my brain to support CP3 when he does something good.

If you’ve been having that same trouble, here’s a nice video of Paul and Curry calmly working on their silky mid-range jumpshots. Just let your eyes relax and unclinch your jaw; feel the magic of elite PG play at work.

But even with all that anti-CP3 deprogramming I’ve been putting in, I gotta say his first bucket in a crisp white home Warriors jersey still almost triggered me.

His first (preseason) score came out of a simple pick-and-roll with one of the league’s top twenty ten big men Kevon Looney. It led to one of Paul’s annoying ass brilliantly executed fadeaway jumpers that Warriors fans have seen used as a deadly weapon against Golden State for over a decade.

I naturally cringed at first when he swiftly gathered into his leaning jumper with the tiniest sliver of space, knowing that he’s lit the Dubs up with it so many times. But as it magically arced over the desperate defender’s fingertips and softly dropped through the net like it was covered in Downy fabric softener, a mischievous grin broke out over my face.

“THAT JUMPER IS NIIIICE” I muttered to myself, rubbing my hands together as I realized that defenses now had to account for something other than a backdoor cut leading to a layup or a bomb from 30 feet away i.e. Warriors basketball.

Paul led the team with five assists in 13 minutes, and those dimes came in a healthy variety of ways.

There was the dime he threw to Andrew Wiggins for an easy corner three after Looney walled off Wiggin’s man with a screen (RUNNING THE OFFENSE).

There was the pick-and-pop he generated out of nothing with Curry that led to an in rhythm Curry triple (IMPROVISING LIKE JAZZ).

And there was the dribble hand off he received at the top from Looney that enabled him to get downhill, draw two defenders, and then lob it up for the Loon Dawg’s easy layup. (LOB CITY REBORN?!).

You can check it all out here in this video of CP3’s solid debut. Hopefully it eases your transition from CP3 hater to CP3 cheerer:

Kuminga and Moody bring good vibes

This is year three for Golden State’s two 2021 lottery picks Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, a pivotal time for Golden State’s treasure chest of young hoopers they’ve been developing ever since owner Joe Lacob pledged to go younger after Kevin Durant left.

Moody acquitted himself well in this first postseason contest in 24 minutes of action. He scored 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting, showing a poise and smoothness to his game as he scored from deep, mid-range, and around the basket. Here’s his shot chart for the contest:

One thing I like about Moody is he has a growing awareness of when it’s his time to finish a play with a scoring move, whether that be a jumper or a dribble-drive to a better location.

His draft brother Kuminga also played 24 minutes, and arguably stole the show last night.

Annnd that’s a good sign after Kuminga was glued to the bench for the playoffs because he didn’t focus on rebounding and Coach Steve Kerr couldn’t trust him. There’s been plenty of curiosity about whether Kuminga will turn into a consistent force or end up fading away like the 2020 lottery pick James Wiseman.

Last night JK continued making his case that he may one day be the hyperathletic, versatile, competitive, strongbody wing to follow in the footsteps of former Finals MVP Andre Iguodala. Kuminga scored 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting, knocking down 4-of-8 (!) from beyond the arc. He also tallied 4 assists and 2 blocks, but the number that jumps off the page is his *checks stats* five turnovers?! UNACCEPTABLE.

But actually as I keep scanning the boxscore, how about those eight rebounds?!?! LETS GO JK. A quick Stat Head check informed me that Kuminga has tallied 8+ rebounds while playing 25 minutes or less a total of five times in his career. Looks like he’s ready to add to that number this season, baby!

Klay jackin

I recently wrote a piece reviewing the highs and lows of Klay Thompson’s last season, particularly the lows of his rushed bricks he jacked up from distance as the Warriors were eliminated by the Lakers in the postseason.

Last night, Klay came out hurling up shots like there was a ticking time bomb strapped to the ball. This man DOES NOT HAVE A CONSCIENCE. Check out his shot chart from the first quarter: 2-of-6 shooting with 5 of those shots coming from beyond the arc.

Moving On

Some quick thoughts as I close out this first game of the preseason.

• Newcomer Dario Saric hit two triples and had three assists in 15 minutes of game time, showing good signs that he’ll be a quality stretch big for the Dubs to unleash on undisciplined defenses.

• Rudy Gay looks like a damn giant on the screen. I had to double check his height (apparently he’s 6-foot-8) because he looked like a legit center at certain points of the game.

• Hey Stephen Curry can still play basketball! He hit a pair of threes and added 3 steals in 13 minutes of gametime. We’re blessed to have this living legend still lacing up his sneaks for the Bay’s team.

I know it’s only preseason, but this was a good refresh for a team and fanbase that absolutely detested how their championship reign ended last year.