The Golden State Warriors are blossoming some of their developed players. And where some people write them down, one analyst shows their faith.
The Golden State Warriors collapsed after Stephen Curry was injured during the Western Conference semi-finals.
This invited a lot of scrutiny to the rest of their roster. To date, the Warriors have not been strengthened and have lost Kevon Rooney in free agency.
For the past week, former NBA player Baron Davis has criticised the lack of depth on his roster, but Warriors fans have questioned why some of the younger players aren’t playing in the Summer League.
During the discussion of ESPN’s first take on basketball culture, Kendrick Perkins says he still retains his faith in the Golden State Warriors to develop young players.
He has cited two second-round draft picks in recent years, by Trace Jackson Davis and the Quinten Post.
General Manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. has recorded his special praise for the post’s development, and believes both players have implemented the “expected above” so far.
Perkins believes the Warriors need to see NBA finalists Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
During a discussion of California’s best teams, Perkins said:
“When I saw guys like the Quinten posts and guys like Jackson Davis, the Oklahoma City Thunder showed us. The Indiana Pacers showed us how important it is to player development.”
He cited Jaylin Williams as an example of a player who has proven to be essential in the Thunder title run.
“Did you know who Jaylin Williams was before? I’m not talking about J-Dub (Jalen Williams). Did the world know?”
Perkins says he is most confident in the Golden State Warriors compared to both the La Clippers and La Lakers, digging a bit into LeBron James’ mixed message.
He explained: “There are teams with culture, foundational, stable and trustworthy superstars who are dissatisfied, and that’s the Golden State Warriors.
“There’s no drama from the Golden State Warriors right now. Obviously they’re dealing with Jonathan Kuminga and what they’re trying to do, but that’s when it comes to their Big 3, Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.
“And that includes the Lakers along with the Clippers.”
Both the Clippers and Lakers made the playoffs through top six seeds last season, but both suffered from removal of the first round. The Warriors had to go through play-in, but knocked off the second-seeded Houston rocket.