
SAN JOSE – That the Warriors used opposites ends of their roster to run off with a 95-87 win over Toronto in their preseason opener speaks not only to their overall depth but also to its variety.
They have on their roster a broad sampling: big and small, sturdy and lean, unripe and fully seasoned.
The two friskiest Warriors of all Monday night at sold-out SAP Center happened to be the youngest and the oldest men in uniform.
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There was Leandro Barbosa, the late arrival to training camp who turns 33 in November, leading the team in scoring with 15 points. The veteran guard needed only nine shots, and less than 15 minutes. He appeared to be in peak form.
“I don’t know what he does in the offseason,” interim coach Luke Walton said of Barbosa, “but he’s in great shape and he looked great tonight.”
And there was James Michael McAdoo, the coltish 21-year-old forward, who followed a relatively quiet three minutes in the first half with 10 explosive minutes in the second. He scored all 10 of his points after intermission, slashing to the hoop and using activity in the paint to get to the foul line for seven free throws.
“McAdoo was incredible,” Walton said.
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It’s a tale of two mean approaching the same goal from different places in their careers. Barbosa is trying to retain his place in the NBA, prove he still can contribute in his 13th season. McAdoo is trying to make his way, prove he belongs in the league despite going undrafted a year ago.
Neither is competing for a starting role; both are battling for backup minutes. Battling is the operative word.
“I’m in the same position as I was last year,” said McAdoo, who spent last season shuttling between the NBA Warriors and their D-League affiliate. “But I feel I’m a lot better. I feel confident and I know my role. I know what coach expects out of me. Just having that year of experience helps.”
McAdoo usually played alongside Marreese Speights, whose smooth jump shot provides a nice contrast to the youngster who offsets his raw offensive game with hair-on-fire energy.
As good as Barbosa and McAdoo were, they had help. The Splash Brothers, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, each put in 14 points, though Curry somehow fouled out in only 19 minutes. Speights dropped in 12 points.
Brandon Rush scored only five points, draining both his shots, including one from deep. That doesn’t sound like much, but this is coming from a guy who made two shots in a game only twice last season, when his confidence was nonexistent.
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Winning is not the foremost goal in preseason, but Walton was pleased to come away with a victory in his “debut” as Warriors head coach. He will hold the reins to the team until coach Steve Kerr returns from his indefinite leave of absence to focus on recovering from two back surgeries over the summer.
Walton said he didn’t talk to Kerr prior to the game but did receive a text message from his boss. Kerr, he said, wanted to know if he was nervous. Walton conceded before tipoff that he was.
It didn’t show. The players appeared by turns rusty and ready, as expected. But Old Man and the Young Buck simply went out and played.
“I don’t even know how old LB is,” Walton said of Barbosa. “But he’s . . . we’d been playing in the league against each other for most of our careers, and I can barely run up down the court any more. But we drew up an isolation play for him, and he blew by someone who is probably eight years younger than him.”
McAdoo is 12 years younger than Barbosa but managed to do more than keep up, as the two co-signed on a win that matters much less than how they performed in the process.