Trio of young Warriors centers show promise in preseason opener

Share

OAKLAND -- It was first day of new school for three Warriors and not one was profoundly pleased with his contribution to the team.

Jordan Bell acknowledged his miscues, Kevon Looney was minus-9 in 16 minutes and Damian Jones went so far as to grade his performance in a 114-110 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the preseason opener Saturday at Oracle Arena.

“I give it about a C-plus,” he told NBC Sports Bay Area. “I can do a lot better.”

A C-plus is about where the overall grade would fall. They’d like to be better, at least good enough to be trusted by the likes of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.

With Zaza Pachulia, David West and JaVale McGee no longer on the roster, Jones, Bell and Looney are competing for minutes at center. And there will be plenty in the months before summertime acquisition DeMarcus Cousins is cleared to play.

Jones started and played 12 minutes, finishing with 4 points, four rebounds and two assists. He was plus-2. He struggled at times to keep up with the frenzied pace set by his All-Star teammates.

“I had the jitters for the first few minutes,” he said of his first NBA start. “I’ve been practicing with the guys and stuff, but it was different going out into a game. Getting that first game experience was good for me.”

Golden State Warriors

Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.

Washington trolls Steph, Warriors with ‘night night' after Mavs' win

Kyrie uses ‘legendary' Steph's NBA accolades as motivation

Bell played 16 minutes and was plus-4, finishing with 10 points (4-of-7 from the field), seven rebounds, one block and one assist. Attempting to mimic Green’s sweet passing, he was stung by four turnovers.

“I’ve been watching him do it, seeing how he threads the needle,” Bell said. “So I was going to see if I could get those passes through. They didn’t work out for me today, so I guess I’m going to keep it simple.”

Looney totaled seven points (3-of-6 from the field), three rebounds, one block and one assist. In his defense, his floor time was shared largely with players at the far end of the bench, unlikely to make the team.

One bright spot was the shooting of Looney and Bell. Both showed a soft touch, with their midrange jumpers.

“It’s something I’ve been working on all summer, something I feel confident in,” Looney said. “If the opportunity presents itself, Coach always tells me to shoot in the flow of the offense. It’s something all the bigs -- me, Jordan and Damian -- have been working on.”

The three centers combined for 21 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. The Warriors would love such numbers in a regular-season game. Heck, they’d almost accept the number of turnovers -- five -- among the big men.

“It was good,” summarized Kerr. “Damian did a good job with the starters, playing with energy and pace. He gave us that dive threat to the rim. Loon and JB were good. JB had a couple mistakes in the second half, but all in all, I was pleased with the effort.”

Again, the Warriors don’t need star performances from any of their young big men. What they do want is consistency of effort and reliable complimentary play. They got it sporadically in the preseason opener.

With four more games to experiment and develop, that’s just enough.

Contact Us