Nico Mannion has soaked up as much knowledge as he can from his older Warriors teammates as his rookie season has progressed, and Brad Wanamaker certainly was among that group that helped guide Mannion through an unusual first NBA season.
Now that the veteran guard reportedly has been traded to the Charlotte Hornets, Mannion reflected on his time with Wanamaker after Thursday's shootaround.
"It's not fun, I can't imagine his position but my position, he was one of my vets," Mannion told reporters. "Had me under his wing since the day I got here, teaching me about the game, helping me out, and it's honestly sad. I'll miss Brad, best of luck to him, but right now we're gonna be really focused on just these next 28 games and making a playoff push."
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Wanamaker was the backup point guard for the early part of the regular season, before recently falling out of the rotation following a successful run by Mannion and Jordan Poole in the G League that inspired renewed confidence in the young guards.
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Mannion is averaging 6.5 points, 3.1 assists and 2.1 rebounds while shooting 39.1 percent from 3-point range since returning from Orlando with the Santa Cruz Warriors, playing 18.3 minutes per night. Wanamaker, meanwhile, had appeared in just three games since Poole and Mannion returned, playing just 14.4 minutes per game over that span.
Wanamaker now goes to Charlotte, a team in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race who might have more use for the veteran's skillset down the stretch of the season.
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The Warriors now will ramp up both Mannion and Poole's minutes, as they dually manage developing young talent and maintaining a firm spot in the West standings, hoping to stay out of the play-in tournament.