WARRIORS-HORNETS VISUAL RECAP:
LIVESTREAM & TOPICS FROM CHA-GSW
31:00 Jordan Poole could be the future face of the franchise
31:45 James Wiseman subs for Draymond at the 4min25 Q1 mark
36:00 Anthony Lamb’s fault on the dunk by Mark Williams (Wiseman still sticks out like a sore thumb) 2min38 Q1 mark
39:45 how many other NBA teams have played both of their two-players at the same time?
45:15 do teams play guys less on the 2nd of a back-to-back?
50:00 Kuminga hung in the air for the tip-in as if he were Vision (Marvel superhero)
56:00 JK is so deliberate, it’s almost like he’s “calculating” a la Kawhi
1:01:45 JK spin and hang makes it hard to do play-by-play, like the Predator, “he just did a Predator”
1:04:45 JP is now playing at that “toy with you” level (Klay missed a 3 though) 4min40 Q2
1:06:00 JP’s got the ball on a string, yo-yo style (so confident, looking like the future face of the franchise)
1:27:00 JP should be expected to make some boneheaded mistakes because he’s young and has a bag
1:40:00 JP turnover on pass to Draymond, who says it’s his fault. Maybe Dray didn’t want JP to feel bad.
2:13:45 on why Ty Jerome was still in the game: to buy mins for Klay who’ll end up with 38 mins (JP 4 fouls)
2:21:00 Kerr going with JK instead of Looney in crunch time
2:21:30 if JP wasn’t in foul trouble, would we have seen him earlier instead of Ty Jerome
2:29:15 twenty-nine other GMs are watching this going, “This is not fair” (JP razzle dazzle spin to JK dunk)
2:42:00 disagree with commenter that Wiseman’s screens and rebounding weren’t great, they were just fine
2:45:00 it’s not about what JK does in one game, it’s what he does in many games
4:13:45 if we are fully healthy and the 15th spot is available at the end of the season, I would think it should go to Lamb (as a wing), also we do have enough guys who can play point guard (Steph, JP, and Donte)
Notes and quotes in reverse chronological order per usual. All videos obviously can be found on our YouTube channel…
DISCLAIMER: These are all just notes for my main workflow of YouTube videos, tweeted by beatwriters, as listed, or transcribed by me. I used to transcribe every interview but it became too tedious and not worth the investment for the small amount of views we got on the soundbites on YouTube. The links to the tweets are not available because sometimes I don’t use the full tweet and just having a ton of tweets on this website imo isn’t aesthetically pleasing and gets away from the main goal: transferring information (not so much entertainment) to the brains of DubNation asap.
• Klay Thompson postgame on what on the boxscore made him smile as he was answering the previous question: “Winning the game, only shooting 22% from three…Definitely want to finish better than 5-of-12 (from 3-point range), but I’ll take the win.” (95.7 The Game, CJ Holmes)
• On Jonathan Kuminga: “Just huge buckets down the stretch, while playing full-court defense on Ball. Incredibly proud of JK, he’s just coming into his own…Without his effort we wouldn’t have won tonight.” (KNBR, 95.7 The Game)
• On if he’ll play tomorrow night: “Hope so, but the training staff, that’s up to them. It’d be fun, though.” (95.7 The Game)
• On if he’ll watch Avatar 2 soon because he likes water: “I like James Cameron’s films. They’re epic. Man, I made a nice paper airplane.” (me)
• Jordan Poole postgame on pointing at Steph: “I was pointing at Steph…some days we don’t make shots…he was like, just keep shooting…we were talking about something.” (me)
• On clutch situations: “I definitely want those moments at the end of the game. Just gotta rise to the occasion.” (95.7 The Game)
• On his mentality in crunch time tonight: “Just make big plays down the stretch. Try to lock in the most you’ve been locked in all game.” (95.7 The Game)
• On DiVincenzo: “Donte is an amazing part of our team…winning player…extremely an elite defender…trust that he’s gonna make the right play.” (me)
• On Wiseman: “You can tell that he’s learned a lot…pace…aggressiveness…screening has been fantastic…using his size in the paint…we know how talented he is…only a matter of time.” (me)
• On building mass: “I don’t necessarily think it’s how much I’ve gained…more explosive, more lean…these are grown men. We’re coming in at 21, 22…little kid bodies…bro, I haven’t benched in ages. Do I look like a football player to you, bro?” (me)
• Jonathan Kuminga postgame on his Q4: “make winning plays.”
• On being upset with himself then finding another level: “I was just trying to get back to myself. I wasn’t losing it.”
• On what defensive strides he’s made: “I don’t like anybody scoring against me. Just watching Draymond, Klay, Andre…we have a defensive team…watching Wiggs too…same legacy.”
• On his steal in the corner: “Andre used to do those type of steals…if the coach trusts you…go execute.”
• James Wiseman postgame in-studio on defense: “We were just drilling that cat and mouse game…screening (at G League).”
• On court awareness on defense: “Sometimes I do get caught up deep in the paint…high school…just repping it out…Iggy…Draymond…Zaza.”
• On the chemistry: “We play four-on-four some days in practice just to get those reps.”
• On awareness and anticipating, scouting reports: “just paying attention in shootaround…gotta just dial in (vs Memphis, big games).”
• On if the Brooklyn game and 30 points help with confidence: “I’m eventually gonna get it.”
• On his athleticism: “just playing in the system…rim protector.”
• On Utah: “Yes, sir. Very physical.”
• Draymond Green postgame locker room, on Kuminga, from Anthony Slater in The Athletic [Substack not allowing me to link on mobile again]: https://theathletic.com/4039560/2022/12/28/jonathan-kuminga-emerges-as-defensive-force-warriors/?source=emp_shared_article
“That was will,” Draymond Green said. “That was ‘I want the ball more than you.’ That was ‘Our backs are against the wall. We’ve lost the lead. Let me go make a play myself.’ So he took the ball. He goes and gets a dunk. He goes and snatches a rebound in traffic. He made every play down the stretch. I think it all started with that play with PJ Washington taking the ball. He manhandled him.”
…
“He f—ing locks up now,” Green said. “I think it’s very impressive to see. Not that you never thought he was capable, but to see the maturity and buying into a role. Like, ‘Oh, that’s my role, that’s what I need to do. I’m going to go do that better than anyone.’ We’ve seen his impact over the last few weeks. He’s hawking every point guard he gets on. … As a competitor, you lose your spot in the rotation, what are you going to do to get it back? Some sulk. Most sulk. Then some go and take it back. That’s what he’s done.”
…
“It’s been a beautiful thing to watch,” Green said. “It’s his (improved) understanding on that side of the ball. He’s in the right spot more often than not now. I think his growth in that area has been absolutely amazing. Quite frankly, it’s been much needed for us. Because we haven’t guarded dribble penetration well. We haven’t been really good at the point of attack all year. He’s changing that for us.”
…
“I don’t play defense in the team concept,” Green said. “I know most people think I do, but I don’t. When you’re good enough, the team concepts adapt around you. That’s what he’s starting to show. We may not want him to pick up as high as he picks up all the time. But if you’re wreaking havoc and it’s bettering us and it’s worsening the opponent’s offense, who is going to say stop? When you’re good enough and you’re capable, the team concepts adapt around you.”
…
> “(Other) guys are learning,” Green continued. “You’ll even hear now (the coaches will) say, ‘Hey, we’re doing this on a screen.’ Then Loon will say, ‘Hey, I’m not doing that with JK. He’s going to be too into the ball and I can’t get a good red (coverage). So I’m just going to into a coverage with JK (that’s different).’ That’s adapting to him. What he’s doing is good enough for me to adapt as opposed to saying, ‘No, JK, I really need you to get into this red (coverage).’ No. He’s so good at that thing that we’re going to adapt. Understanding team concepts is extremely important. He’s learning. He’s helping. He’s doing the things that need to be done on that side. But when you’re sh0wing the skill set that he has on that side of the ball, you’d be a fool to say, ‘Hey, we need you to go do this.’”
• Steve Kerr postgame on Kuminga down the stretch: “We went with him for his defense…guarding LaMelo…the impact he was making…his energy…led to a couple of offensive players…floaters…dunk…that kinda sealed it.”
• On the steal Kuminga made: “He looked like Andre Iguodala on that play…Andre has been mentoring him throughout the season and last season…focus on being a defensive stopper.”
• On the pictures falling into place for Kuminga: “when you play with energy and defend hard…kind of the karma to the game…ironic because this was a night we couldn’t put the ball in the basket.”
• On Poole’s creativity: “did a good job of that tonight.”
• On maybe being too much on threes: “they were good looks…we actually turned down a few…sometimes the ball doesn’t go in…I didn’t like our energy (in Q2).”
• On the defense and POA: “They’re tough to keep in front of…especially LaMelo…challenging without foul…the one foul down the stretch by Draymond was just brilliant…knows Plumlee struggles from the line…he’s the smartest defensive player I’ve ever seen…in our film sessions, everything that he points out…both in practice and in games…talked about it in shootaround…Kenny (Atkinson) came into the huddle and mentioned it…(Draymond) kinda was baiting that pass…boxing out (on the FT)…Plumlee is tough…clogs up the paint…one of the keys to their win (in Charlotte).”
• On DiVincenzo: “compared to the rest of our team, he’s old…got a nose for the ball…constantly in the mix…anticipates really well…plays really hard…tonight the shots weren’t going on…a good groove w/ the extra playing time with the injuries.”
• On Poole’s defense: “There’s another level Jordan can get to…without fouling, getting back in transition…he puts in the time and he’s very coachable. We talk a lot on off-days and watch film…that’s kinda the next step.”
• On if he knows if Klay will play: “Not yet…would say Klay’s doubtful. He played 38 mins…against Memphis he played well…knew we needed some scoring from him.”
• Klay Thompson on-court postgame on Kuminga: “His ability to play above the rim adds a whole new dimension to the team…both sides of the ball.”
• On getting revenge on some teams on this homestand: “That’s right, Festus…that road record will catch up eventually. We take pride…best home fans in the league…get in a groove here.”
• On Wiseman: “Yeah, Wise is such a presence down there…he’s figuring it out. He’s only 21 years old…what a great asset to have…I know that makes Festus happy.”
• Injury update: Martin (L Knee Procedure) out, Richards (R Ankle Sprain) out, Smith Jr (L Ankle Sprain) questionable, Ball (R Shoulder Strain) probable. (Hornets PR)
• PREGAME UPDATE: Hornets forward Kelly Oubre has been downgraded to out and will miss tonight’s game in Golden State with a left hand sprain. (Hornets PR)
• Draymond Green is expected to play tonight. Steve Kerr pregame Hornets said his right foot soreness stems from a soft tissue injury so it’s not anything to keep him out unless the pain is bothering him. (Madeline Kenney)
• Andrew Wiggins (adductor strain) has been cleared to play but now he’s sick and is not in the building tonight: “We were targeting tomorrow. That was likely to happen then he came down ill yesterday.” (95.7 The Game, Kerith Burke)
• On the Warriors’ home/road splits: “The discrepancy is pretty dramatic…I’ve never seen anything like this, this kind of dramatic swing of home and road performance. It probably speaks to the fact that we’re just not solid enough yet.” (KNBR)
• JaMychal Green remains in the health & safety protocol, per Kerr. (Kerith Burke)
• Kerr says he talked to the team today about Sunday’s tech-fest. Says some games they’ll be unhappy with things, some games they’ll be OK, but they can’t get wrapped up in it like that. (Tim Kawakami via Janie McCauley)
• On Kelly Oubre: “Yeah. I enjoyed coaching Kelly. It was kind of a strange year for us coming off of a season where we really struggled and we were trying to kind of find ourselves. He was on the last year of his contract and with Klay (Thompson) coming back it was an interesting season for Kelly. He wanted to improve his free agent value, but he also knew that Klay was coming back and there was a lot of talk that whole year if he was going to come back or not, so it wasn’t an easy position for Kelly to be in, but he handled himself great and had a good year for us, but I think has landed in a good spot.” (Warriors PR)
• On Jordan Poole: “I think, right now, given his age, we can push him a little harder than we would Steph minutes-wise. Right now we are trying to bring him back at the top of the second quarter with the second group which means we take him out late first quarter for a few minutes. Everything right now is – even though we map it out beforehand – is very flexible depending on how the game is going.” (Warriors PR)
• Hornets coach Steve Clifford pregame on Draymond: “Well I think Steve’s (Kerr) always done that where you know downsize, Draymond at five, obviously more traditional where he’s at four. You know to have long playoff runs like that you’ve got to be versatile and flexible in your lineups. I think also part of it has to do with what kind of team you have and what kind of depth you have. I think some teams—like you have to have good players, like really good players off the bench if you can play with only one starter. Usually it’s more veteran that way, I mean when you’re playing a lot of younger guys usually you’re going to have to have a couple starters out there when they’re in the game.” (Warriors PR)
• On what he saw with the Grizzlies game tape: “Our defense in the halfcourt was excellent, our rebounding was great against a very good rebounding team in Memphis…connection is tied to our turnovers…get solid.” (me)
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