Warriors’ unselfish offense, more shooting depth on screen against Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
A familiar yet new-look style of Warriors basketball was on display in Golden State’s 122-112 win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center.
Five different Warriors players scored in double figures while on the team knocked down an amazing 28 3-pointerswhich would have been a franchise record in a regular-season game.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr shared his early impressions of the team through two preseason games.
“What I like about this team, I think we have — even though we lost Klay [Thompson] we have more shooting depth,” Kerr said. “We have, I think, more guys that can step in from one night to the next and make threes, so it’s going to be a big part of our team for sure.”
New Warriors guard Buddy Hield, who shot 6 of 7 from 3-point range, had one word to describe how the offense played Wednesday night.
“Unselfishly. Guys read and react,” Hield told reporters after the game. “Boys like it [Brandin Podziemski] spreading the ball around. We had Draymond [Green] [playing] unselfishly I think it just trickles down from Steve [Kerr]just preaching being unselfish every day and making the right basketball game and the right read.”
Podziemski, a natural point guard who is one of the leading candidates to start next to Steph Curry at shooting guard this season, ran a point in the second half and finished the game with a game-high eight assists.
“My job as a point guard is to get everybody involved,” Podziemski said. “Obviously, Jonathan [Kuminga] had a slow start so my focus was trying to get him and [Kyle Anderson] the ball and fortunately they made some shots when I passed it to them. But just doing my job out there.”
Kuminga, the fourth-year forward who broke out last season, has been pushed by the Warriors’ coaching staff to improve as a 3-point shooter this offseason, and through two preseason games, is shooting 4 of 9 (44 percent) from distance.
“I’ve been working on it all summer and I’m still working on it,” Kuminga said of his 3-point shooting. “I just take the ones that are open, I take better ones with my feet set because I know I’m going to make them. So I don’t think too much about taking them … coach wanted me to take the ones that are open and not think about it because the more you don’t think about it the more you do them. So that’s just my goal.”
The unselfish nature of the Warriors’ deeper offense was on display against Sacramento, and while there are still questions to be answered — particularly around the starting lineup and bench rotations — it appears that Golden State might have the necessary pieces to improve during the 2024-25 season. .
