The Golden State Warriors fell to 0-3 on Saturday, after losing 131-122 to the Phoenix Suns in the second game of a back-to-back. Despite the result, you can easily make the case that it was Golden State’s most impressive game of the short season, given that they kept it close despite playing without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Brandin Podziemski, and Al Horford.
But it was still a loss, and it still needs to be graded. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing
the average performance for that player.
Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Last year, league-average TS was 58.1%.
Yaxel Lendeborg
36 minutes, 26 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 9-for-19 shooting, 6-for-11 threes, 2-for-3 free throws, 64.0% TS, +5
Was Lendeborg perfect? No. But should you be extremely excited that Golden State’s rookie dropped 26-9-5 with excellent efficiency in just his third career game? Absolutely.
With Curry and Podziemski out, Lendeborg was the team’s first option, and he handled the role brilliantly. He was both patient and aggressive on offense, and didn’t let the heavier workload on that end of the court impact his effort levels on defense or on the glass.
He’s really good. I think, after three games, we can conclude that. The question with Lendeborg — who, as has been discussed ad nauseam over the last few months, is already 24 — is how much better can he get?
Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points, tied for the team lead in assists.
Gui Santos
23 minutes, 7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 1-for-4 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, 4-for-8 free throws, 46.5% TS, -13
Not the best Gui performance. His energy and hustle are always welcome in these sort of shorthanded games, where outworking the opponent is the lone path to victory. But he was struggling to score, and often got caught out of position on defense.
Grade: C
Graham Ike
26 minutes, 12 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 5-for-13 shooting, 2-for-2 free throws, 43.2% TS, -6
Ike had an exciting preseason, and it’s clear the Warriors are high on me. But had you told me that the undrafted rookie, who is signed to a two-way contract, would register a double-double in just his third career game, I’m still not sure I would have believed you.
He wasn’t nearly as efficient as you’d like a center to be, but that was really the only thing you can criticize with his game. He led both teams in rebounding, and played solid defense. He fits within the system so well, and makes quick decisions with and without the ball. It’s pretty clear that he’s going to be a big part of the rotation this year.
Grade: A-
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.
Will Richard
31 minutes, 11 points, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 4-for-9 shooting, 3-for-6 threes, 61.1% TS, 0 +/-
Devin Booker had a true superstar game, scoring 43 points on 17-for-25 shooting. But he got off to a fairly slow start, in large part because of the great defense that Richard was playing on him. Eventually Booker found his rhythm and there was nothing that Richard — or anyone — could do to stop him, but still. Those early minutes were nice!
Richard also did some quality things on offense, with his usual great cutting, and it was nice to see him knock in some threes.
Grade: B
Brandon Williams
24 minutes, 20 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 5-for-10 shooting, 2-for-3 threes, 8-for-11 free throws, 67.4% TS, +5
Williams’ third game in a Golden State jersey was far and away his best. And while he was a starter in this game due to Curry and Podziemski not playing, it was the type of performance that showed you exactly why the Warriors brought him in to be a core member of the bench unit.
He can score. My goodness can he score. And he can score in a variety of ways, with a level of quickness and burst that is fairly foreign to the Dubs.
That was all on display in this game, as was a jump shot that he says he put a lot of work into this offseason; he entered this year having shot just 28.0% from deep in his career, so that’s been the one hole in his offensive game.
They’re gonna need this version of him in games they’re more equipped to win.
Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in assists.
Georges Niang
23 minutes, 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 2-for-9 shooting, 0-for-5 threes, 22.2% TS, +6
Some solid veteran winning plays by Niang in this one, and I liked what he did on defense. But, for the role that he plays on this team, it’s hard to be productive when you shoot 0-for-5 from deep and turn the ball over three times.
Grade: C
Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.
De’Anthony Melton
27 minutes, 25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers, 3 fouls, 8-for-13 shooting, 4-for-8 threes, 5-for-5 free throws, 82.2% TS, -8
Melton was awful in the season opener and mediocre in the home opener. But he was absolutely magnificent in this game. He did a phenomenal job replacing the scoring that was lost in Curry’s absence, and while we shouldn’t expect that every time Steph sits, it’s certainly good to know it’s a possibility. Melton had struggled defensively in the first two games of the season, but looked much more like the defender we know in this one, and he controlled the offense with his quarterbacking. Just an awesome game from the veteran.
Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in assists.
Charles Bassey
13 minutes, 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 4-for-4 shooting, 2-for-3 free throws, 94.0% TS, +3
Bassey made his season debut and was absolutely excellent. I’m not sure what the Warriors would have done in this game had he not been able to play, because he was everything they needed. He patrolled the paint with rebounds and rim protection, used craftiness and strength to score, and made countless little winning plays. The first quarter completely shifted when Bassey entered the game, and it seemed to stay that way whenever he was on the court.
He’s going to play a big role this season.
Grade: A+
Gary Payton II
17 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1-for-3 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 33.3% TS, -14
Just an entirely nondescript game from GPII. I can’t remember a single thing he did on the court, for better or for worse.
Grade: C-
Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.
LJ Cryer
14 minutes, 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 1-for-5 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 30.0% TS, -13
Not the best game for Cryer, though it’s always nice to see him get some extended non-garbage time run. He always looks better when his shot is falling, which it wasn’t in this game, and his defense wasn’t too sharp either.
Grade: C
Malevy Leons
4 minutes, 2 points, 1 steal, 1 foul, 1-for-2 shooting, 50.0% TS, -10
Despite all the maladies of his teammates, Malevy was only able to get a little bit of run in this game. He’s a nice player to have around, but right now he’s pretty clearly behind the other two players on two-way contracts (Ike and Cryer) on the depth chart.
Grade: Incomplete
Saturday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Al Horford, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, Kristaps Porziņģis
