The Golden State Warriors didn't exactly get Summer League play off to a rousing start.
The California Classic hosts went winless at Chase Center, losing three games by a combined 65 points. But the summer squad that takes the floor in Las Vegas over the next week-and-a-half, thankfully, will look much different than the short-handed one that was summarily outclassed by the by the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat in San Francisco.
Here's why Warriors fans should be hyped to watch their team at the 2022 NBA Las Vegas Summer League.
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3 major reasons Warriors fans should be hyped for 2022 NBA Las Vegas Summer League
James Wiseman's long-awaited return
Disclaimer: The No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 draft has yet to be cleared for action in Las Vegas, still ramping up toward a return after undergoing multiple surgeries to repair the torn meniscus he suffered in April of his debut season. Wiseman insisted during his exit interview that he'd be on the floor for Summer League, though, and took a crucial step toward his long-awaited return on Sunday, playing 5-on-5 for the first time since he was shut down for good in March.
“James was able to do that, looked really good,” Warriors California Classic coach Seth Cooper said, per Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports. “For James, that was a pretty live day. I was on the court for some of that, but everything I heard was that that went really well and he looked really good.”
It's important to keep expectations for Wiseman in check, even against substandard competition of Summer League. He hasn't played an official game in 15 months, after all, and wasn't the most instinctive player during his disappointing debut campaign. It's no coincidence that Golden State finished the 2020-21 season on a 15-5 run once the raw, inexperienced Wiseman was sidelined in early April.
His understanding of and comfort operating in Golden State's systems on both sides of the ball will ultimately be the deciding factor in Wiseman's role with the Warriors this season. Don't expect the 20-year-old to come back and immediately show palpable growth in that regard or his overall feel for the game, though. It would take time for any player to re-acclimate to the game from more than a year away from NBA basketball, let alone one whose struggles up to this point were far more mental than physical.
Just getting back on the floor at Summer League and flashing the blend of unreal athletic tools and nascent skill that made him a blue-chip prospect should be considered encouraging for Wiseman. Anything more than that might as well be cause for celebration given his star-crossed career to date.
Jonathan Kuminga, unleashed
The jaw-dropping highlights Kuminga put together as a Summer League rookie didn't quite align with his overall effectiveness. He shot just 37.3% from the field in Las Vegas last year, finishing with more total turnovers than he did assists and combined steals and blocks.
Still, don't let Kuminga's inefficiency in a primary role fool you.
He still provided ample room for optimism going forward, showing off his prototype package of size and athleticism on both ends while turning heads with his natural feel attacking off the bounce. Kuminga will revert back to that high-usage mode with the Summer Warriors, hopefully creating shots for himself and his teammates with a bit more nuance and control than he did as a rookie. An improved long-range shooting stroke would be an even bigger development for Kuminga, perhaps paving the way for a breakout sophomore campaign off the bench come the regular season.
One problem: Kuminga missed the California Classic, in his native Congo to support his brother's tenure with the national team. He's on track to join Golden State in Sin City, but there's been no definitive word from the team that he'll suit up. Kuminga needs all the developmental time he can muster, especially in an ecosystem that gives him the freedom to function as the Warriors' top offensive option.
Management knows that as well as anyone, and should give Kuminga the chance to play in Summer League as a result.
Patrick Baldwin Jr.'s redemption tour
A consensus top-five recruit in the 2021 recruiting class, Baldwin Jr. never found his footing playing under his father at Milwaukee, beset by both a nagging ankle injury and an outsized offensive role alongside his middling teammates in the Horizon League.
His widespread struggles against mid-major competition assure that Baldwin was never tracking toward NBA stardom the way his highly decorated prep career made it seem. But a 6'10 shooter with a standing reach taller than most centers offers plenty of intrigue regardless, especially playing for a team with the unique motion-based offense of Golden State.
Baldwin is on the roster for Las Vegas, but like Wiseman, hasn't been officially cleared to participate, still in the final stages of recovery from the dislocated left ankle he suffered as a senior in high school. The 19-year-old said last week he ultimately expects to play in Summer League, raring to prove his NBA bonafides after a dispiriting stop in college.
“I just want to come out here and learn, compete and show that I belong,” he said last week.
Don't fret if Baldwin's jumper is wayward once he eventually gets on the court. Scouts and analysts have no doubts about his pure shooting ability, those ugly numbers at Milwaukee not withstanding. How Baldwin stacks up physically to NBA-level players is what's most important in wake of a testing performance at the pre-draft combine that left him among the event's worst athletes.
Baldwin won't ever be a high-flying finisher or fleet-footed perimeter defender. But if he can compensate for those deficiencies in Las Vegas with length, positioning and just enough all-around mobility to avoid being roasted defensively and attack closeouts with one or two dribbles on the other end, it will go a long way toward proving Golden State made a smart bet by taking him late in the first round.
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