The Golden State Warriors have plotted a course for themselves that stands apart from that of other clubs around the Association. While most teams are either scheming toward a potential title run or working to develop a core of young players, the Warriors are trying to do both simultaneously.
Multi-time champions Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are still on the team and performing at a high level despite their being on the wrong side of 30. As such, the Warriors are doing their damnedest to get back to the NBA Finals.
At the same time, Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman and Moses Moody — who are all currently under the age of 23 — bear the look of future stars.
If the Warriors are going to succeed in their efforts to thread the needle between winning now and developing the young guns, they’ll need experienced voices to help keep the fledglings on the right path. To that end, they look to have tapped a veritable hardwood legend to aid in the effort.
Pau Gasol Has Been Working With the Dubs
On the March 25 episode of JJ Redick’s podcast, “The Old Man and the Three,” six-time All-Star Pau Gasol — who won two championships with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers — guested and discussed, among other things, his post-retirement life.
During the conversation, the 41-year-old spoke about the joy he gets from imparting his hoops wisdom to the next generation of ballers. Apparently, it’s something he has been invited to do with Golden State on occasion.
“Young guys can benefit from your knowledge and can benefit from your experience, and you can help them grow and help them in their journey. I’ve enjoyed those different points in my career, and I miss that in a way,” Gasol said.
“But now I’m exploring a potential role with a team. I’ve been going a little bit under the radar with the Warriors, and they’ve kind of opened their doors for me to come in and be part of meetings, see the guys a little bit and talk to some of the guys. It’s been nice.”
Whether or not he pursues a larger — or more regular — role with the Dubs remains to be seen, though.
“Maybe I’m gonna do that more and more as I go forward,” he said. “I don’t want to rush into anything just yet. I just want to get a feel, I just want to learn, I want to observe. I want to see where it kind of calls me — where I can get something that makes sense for me to gravitate into.”
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Gasol Finished His Playing Career Where It Began
Gasol’s last taste of NBA action came during the 2018-19 campaign with the Milwaukee Bucks. After having taken a step back into a reserve role with the San Antonio Spurs, the big man was eventually bought out, after which he found his way to Milwaukee. Unfortunately, a stress fracture ended his run there after just three games.
The following year, he was eyeing a comeback with the Portland Trail Blazers. However, he ultimately found himself unable to get back onto the court and was waived early on in the 2019-20 campaign.
Not wanting to see his career ended by injury, Gasol eventually made his way back to FC Barcelona — his first-ever professional team. He went on to appear in 23 games for the Spanish club across all competitions, averaging 8.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.7 blocks.
He announced his retirement in October 2021.
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Warriors Open Door to Potential Role for Ex-Lakers Champion