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Just 60 months before latching on with the Golden State Warriors, Daeqwon Plowden was sitting on the end of Bowling Green's bench as an incoming freshman. Now the newest addition to the Steph Curry-led crew is more focused on a Gone in 60 Seconds-styled hobby with Plowden securing a two-way deal. ClutchPoints caught up to Plowden in between training sessions and a long, leisurely wind down sorting over 3000 Lego blocks.
It may not exactly be some NASCAR-level mechanic work but Plowden's progress on a 1969 Chevy Camaro would impress Tim ‘The Tool Man' Talyor-styled jalopniks.
“I've gotten into building Legos a little bit. I know a lot of guys have gotten into it. Shout out to Myles Turner,” Plowden said. “Just seeing his collection and how far he's gone with it, how invested in this hobby he is, and the backstory of how it helps him pass the downtime. I was curious and the more I was looking at it like, man, you know, this is something that I can really get into.”
“I like being crafty like that as well. So Legos has been something that's really piqued my interest. It's a completely different vibe than always being super focused and locked in on the game. So I like that,” he continued. “It's about around 3000 pieces or something like that, one of the big models. I'm getting more into cars and (the Camaro) just kind of piqued my interest. I can build one of the cars that's really nice that I'm that I looked at, that gained interest in.”
Changing up the vibe is important for a professional athlete's mental health, which is one reason why fans will not see the Plowden flinging a controller across a room any time soon.
“I game a little bit,” he admitted. “Nothing too competitive like tournaments. Never took that leap.”
As for less involved, hands-off entertainment, Plowden has KUR blasting through the speakers when not binging through a backlog of comedies. A good gut laugh always helps when unwinding from long days in the gym and cramped G-League road trips.
“I'm a big comedy dude. Love going back in the comedy genre. I just started going back and watching all the old school movies that had, like, the Wayans Brothers in it and stuff like that,” Plowden shared. “One of them being I'm Gonna Get You Sucka. That movie is hilarious to me. So I like to go back and just, you know, tune into old times, like old comedy movies and stuff like that.”
Daeqwon Plowden's winding road to Warriors
Plowden had to take a leap of faith to wind up in the NBA though. His journey up the league's ladder is a testament to perseverance, hard work, and seizing opportunities. From his humble beginnings in Philadelphia to signing a two-way contract with the Warriors, Plowden’s story still has a lot to be told. Now, forces joined with Curry, the 26-year-old has a unique path to the history books.
His path to the basketball court was not always a straight line though.
“I was a kid who took a while to get acclimated to playing basketball. It was football and baseball before, so it took some time before the NBA was my dream. I had some family that helped,” Plowden laughed. “They helped me see this dream and make it a reality. That is where my NBA story starts. Once I started playing, being in different leagues and seeing different loads of competition, that's where I started falling in love with the game. Playing against people that are better than me, and just trying to improve.”
Accepting what is given, what is blessed, and what must be earned were distinctions Daeqwon made early along this path to the NBA. Being tasked with helping keep the Greatest Shooter in the Universe's championship window open is a challenge Plowden could never have dreamed about as a kid but is ready to tackle.
He was born in Rocky Balboa's Philadelphia after all, 21 years after Kobe Bean Bryant. Getting up from hard knocks to answer the bell is in the city's blood.
“Kobe is one of my GOATs just because I got to see Kobe a little bit growing up and what he did at this level. I know some people do the Michael Jordan, Kobe, or LeBron (James) and everything like that. But Kobe was somebody that I got to be able to be excited about seeing play (as a kid),” Plowden explained. “Kobe is one of my goats, definitely, but I do think there is room in the game for more than one GOAT. They are GOATs in different departments so there is room for more than one GOAT to be honest.”
The GOAT of Mastery Charter North School still pauses for a moment when thinking back on everyone who helped along the way. Being the school’s first 1,000-point scorer and a two-time all-state team honoree does not come easy.
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“My whole support staff, and they all know who they are, kept me on the right path at all times, whether that be high school, college, or the G-League for two years,” stressed Plowden. “My whole support staff, they all just continue to feed me the right information, healthy thoughts, and healthy criticism. Them helping me keeps the dream going essentially.”
The main thing has to stay the main thing to keep the dream alive. Plowden is basically playing for a job every single day, after all. It's just a built-in mechanism of the two-way contract. A great Summer League showing helped Plowden secure the deal though, and there seems to be a pathway towards playing time going into training camp. Golden State's coaches have been encouraging Plowden to stick to the plan despite some tough adjustments.
“Coach Anthony Vareen continued to preach good things to me. He says ‘Hey, listen, like you're doing really good. Keep up what you got going on.' Those positive affirmations helped during that time because…You go from ‘You're the best player' go do what you do' to asking how you fit in the system. How can I perfect this role essentially in a way that helps the team? That was the biggest adjustment for me. It was hard to go back to Ground Zero.”
Finding room to fit in around Hall of Famers
Bowling Green is a lot of things but it has never been accused of being glamorous. The same could be said of Plowden's path to Golden State. Despite finishing with 1,618 points and 935 rebounds, Bowling Green's record-holder for games played (1541) has gone through the Ground-Up Grind through several G-League seasons.
Joining the Warriors is an opportunity to make history. The last years of Curry scaring the entire league need a championship-level supporting cast. While Plowden's role may primarily be as a backup, his presence adds depth to the roster that will be crucial in helping the Warriors navigate a grueling regular season. Golden State's placement in the toughest NBA Cup Group only adds to the necessity of picking things up quickly to start training camp. That is why Plowden is ready to get back in the gym following a productive summer.
“I think just the way I practice, the way I prepare myself, goes back to what I've been taught going into college by my high school coaches,” Plowden stated. “Just work for everything. Know that nothing's going to be given. Understand that everyone is great at this level. So how I prep with these guys, how I prep on my own, will essentially tell a story on how ready and how prepared I'm going to be when my number is called.”
Being called up to the NBA is an honor but the lessons learned on the developmental circuit are invaluable for sticking with the varsity squad.
“(Time in the G-League) gave me perspective on the people who are down to work and have been through the grind. Everybody coming up wants to be understood and appreciated. Everybody is chasing the same goal,” he said. “I think a lot of good experiences came from my first two years. With my teams and organizations that I've been dealing with throughout the G League, I just took a little bit from everybody, especially when I was with OKC. I didn't see the floor a whole lot but just being around those guys and trying to pick their brains was a great experience.”
There is one thing that is hard to escape with no point in denying it. This is not just any NBA opportunity and the gameday experience will be far different. Curry's Warriors warmups draw crowds larger than most G-League games. Plowden is just happy to take it all in and let the work speak for itself.
“I think it's amazing that I'm even in this position. Give all the glory to God. It's just amazing. I've watched Steph Curry do amazing things on the court. And like, you know, now that is my teammate! It's like, well, shoot, this is incredible, right? I'll be out there to assist however the team needs me,” Plowden insisted. “I really have no other way to put it. It's just an amazing experience right now to be kind of in that spotlight.”
