Warriors

In the Warriors' 96-87 victory over the Wizards in the preseason opener in Japan, James Wiseman led the way with 20 points and eight boards.

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The Golden State Warriors defeated the Washington Wizards, 96-87, in the first of their two preseason games in Japan. The result is immaterial — that goes ...

To be fair, the play calls for Wiseman to set a downscreen for Kuminga to turn the corner and drive downhill, in what is essentially empty-corner pick-and-roll action. The possession is saved when Wiseman gets ahold of the loose ball and goes up for a dunk. On paper, two highly athletic and explosive talents — one a wing and one a big — would work well together on the floor. What was lacking was the pass itself: overthrown and too high for Curry to catch. Being able to make advanced reads and executing them perfectly will go a long way toward Wiseman’s development as the quintessential Warriors big man. While the set above was devastatingly effective, the play involving Wiseman that most caught my eye resulted in a turnover. The positioning and spacing during the play above worked to Wiseman’s advantage. Virtually turns into 3-man action that throws the Nuggets for a loop. If Kerr did decide to insert Wiseman into more complicated half-court sets, it would be to take advantage of his nature as a roller and lob catcher. Wiseman’s mobility for his size allows him to outrun most of his matchups, which was the case against Kristaps Porzingis: Knowing his shortcomings in terms of self-creation, Wiseman’s role on offense is largely limited to being a play-finisher as a scorer, while providing value as a screen-setter and roll-gravity generator. Once more, the caveat is that it’s the preseason, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything of value to take away from his performance.

SAITAMA, Japan — The Warriors only had three training camp practices before a 10-hour flight across the Pacific Ocean. Their preseason opener tipped off ...

Steve Kerr will spend the first month, at least, toggling with all sorts of lineup combinations to figure out how best to mix and match beyond his established starters. Still, though, there were several leftover storylines with some meaning — from the performances down the roster to the responsive, friendly Japanese crowd. [Warriors](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/warriors/) only had three training camp practices before a 10-hour flight across the Pacific Ocean.

NBA fans in Japan didn't pack Saitama Super Arena on Friday night to watch James Wiseman...

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James Wiseman put his athleticism on full display Friday during the Warriors' preseason opener against the Wizards.

“He’s been putting a ton of work in and obviously last year despite the injury he was studying, watching tape, learning from our older guys so couldn’t be happier for James that he’s done such a good job putting so much work and to see him rewarded in the first preseason game was fantastic.” “This is my first games in two years but I just went out there and just played my game and just be myself,” he said. As a result, some of the biggest strides he’s made so far is his spatial awareness and decision making. He made his return to the floor in summer league after a lengthy and, at times, frustrating 15-month rehabilitation process. He had a solid rookie campaign in the pandemic-altered 2020-21 season — averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds — but it was cut short after 39 games because he needed surgery to repair a torn right meniscus. “It’s been like 1.5 years, two years, so just to be out there playing, it feels good.”

Even in Japan, Steph Curry has time to call out ESPN for their 2022-23 projections.

likely will look back at ESPN's preseason model as the spark that ignited their title defense. The Warriors, who won 53 games last season, don't mind the doubters. Before the series started, ESPN's BPI believed Golden State had just a 14 percent chance of raising the Larry O'Brien Trophy.