SAN FRANCISCO – The biggest source of comfort in NBA training camp has nothing to do with shots, blocks or which team wins the scrimmage. It’s harmony.
The Warriors have practiced six times deep into camp and feel they have great chemistry. Veterans and youth alike express a sense of unity, which fosters growth and, in turn, generates belief.
“It’s been great,” Moses Moody said Tuesday. “The energy was electric. It was a lot of fun. The guys are communicating. Being around each other even before training camp started steered us in the right direction.”
Celebrate the collective intelligence of your team. General manager Mike Dunleavy addressed this issue last summer by acquiring veterans Chris Paul, Dario Saric and Cory Joseph. And by drafting Brandin Podzemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis, two mature college basketball players.
Jordan Poole spent three seasons with Golden State before being traded to the Wizards for Paul. Poole was alternately good and frustrating, sometimes sticking to his own show at the expense of his teammates. His tendencies always create a path to disharmony.
Joining Poole in Washington were last season’s rookies Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins. The Warriors essentially traded three of the five players remaining in the draft between 2019 and 2022.
The team is older and wiser. Suddenly, training becomes easier, conversations flow more smoothly, and one-on-one discussions are more likely to reach a satisfactory resolution.
“This feels like a really high IQ team,” coach Steve Kerr said. “And they’re showing it early on.”
Add Paul, Saric, and Joseph to the core of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Kevon Looney, and Golden State has eight players (rotational players) with at least seven years of NBA experience. (7 people) will join.
Additionally, there is a measure of stability provided by a roster of players who play in the league and approach the game in a similar manner. Coach Kerr’s Warriors emphasize ball movement, a system that suits the skills and mentality of the rookie veteran. Emotional pool moments often involved danger and tended to emphasize personal spectacle. Paul, Saric and Josef are low-risk players who usually work together with their teammates.
Teamwork is the key word at this camp. When everyone is recognized and involved, it’s easier for everyone to feel satisfied. That has been the predominant atmosphere since the first camp training on Oct. 3.
“It was amazing,” Kuminga said. “It’s been a hard training camp, but it’s been good for us. We’re not just in shape. We’re getting better and better. The goal is to get everyone ready and each person do what they can do on the floor. It’s about knowing what you want to do and going out on the floor as a team and winning everything.”
One of the first concerns after winning the pole was his relationship with Green. As opponents, there was obvious contempt between the two tough men. As teammates, they are like-minded veterans.
The belief within the team is that they will find a spot on the floor that satisfies both of them and will ultimately benefit the team in a big way.
“There’s really good chemistry in their relationship,” Kerr said. “They spent a lot of time together over the summer, both in L.A. and here, doing pickups. They connect really well.
“This is going to be a case of two very smart players learning how to play together. They occupy similar parts of the floor. When they pick-and-roll, Draymond dives. You’re going to have to. Luckily, Draymond already understands that. You don’t even have to tell him.”
That’s the hallmark of a high IQ, team-first player. They figure it out among themselves. Coaches rarely need to intervene or mediate.
We don’t know how well the Warriors will play once the game starts. Neither do they. What they know is that the group attitude is positive and that is essential to good things, he said on his first day two weeks ago.
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