The Warriors’ young core has greatly benefited from the mentorship of their older teammates, and Friday night’s game between Golden State and the Denver Nuggets at Chase Center served as another prime example.
Veteran Draymond Green saw a teaching opportunity late in the third quarter of the Warriors’ 128-123 loss when James Wiseman was called for a foul trying to block a Bones Hyland layup attempt.
When an exasperated Wiseman returned to the bench, Green was waiting for him with some advice.
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“[I was] just telling him a guy [Wiseman’s] size, lateral movement is irrelevant,” Green explained to reporters postgame. “You’re trying to slide with these guards. You don’t need to slide with them. Just move up and back.
“When you move up and back, it allows him to use his strength, which is his size. Anytime as a big, you are trying to get into sliding with a guard -- Bones is shifty as hell. Bones is tough for anybody to guard one-on-one, just with his shiftiness itself.”
On the play in question, Wiseman attempted to challenge Hyland vertically but wasn’t properly set up to do so, Green said. The 7-foot Warriors center has an eight-inch advantage over Hyland but was out of position on the block attempt as he tried to slide with the guard.
“Just telling him to use your length,” Green continued. “The way you can use your length is by going up and back, not side-to-side. You start turning your body because you’re trying to keep up with the speed of these guards and the trickiness.”
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Friday’s loss was Wiseman’s 41st NBA game after the Warriors drafted him No. 2 overall in the 2020 draft.
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The 21-year-old hadn’t played since his rookie season after dealing with injuries and now looks to help Golden State win a second consecutive championship -- with a little bit of help from his elders.
“Just some different things that he will need to pick up as he grows," Green said. "Overall, I think that he has done an incredible job. He’s continuing to grow and get better, starting to use his voice more and more.
“... He’ll keep getting that experience, and that’s on myself and [Kevon Looney] to make sure we continue to help and teach him.”