Getty Quinndary Weathersppon goes up for a layup during a preseason bout between the Golden State Warriors and the Washington Wizards.
When the Golden State Warriors ultimately decided to fill their two-way roster spots with Anthony Lamb and Ty Jerome as training camp came to a close, it was something of a shocker for Dub Nation.
The team had already signed Quinndary Weatherspoon and Lester Quiñones to two-way deals over the summer. And even when that duo was waived out of nowhere, there seemed to be real momentum growing behind Pat Spencer as a two-way or even main-roster option.
As wild as the Dubs’ musical chairs act was from top to bottom, Weatherspoon’s dismissal was probably the most surprising development. After all, he had spent all of last season with the Warriors organization in varying capacities, and his defensive talents were as good or better than anyone on the roster not named Draymond Green.
In any case, Weatherspoon’s hardwood journey continues on. Just this week, the 26-year-old began a new chapter in an entirely new league.
Weatherspoon Taking His Game Overseas
After spending the last couple of months weighing his options, Weatherspoon finally decided where to plant his flag over the weekend. In the end, the 6-foot-4 guard elected to take his talents to the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Tianjin Pioneers.
He’s already gotten his first taste of CBA action, too, suiting up for the club’s game against ex-NBAer MarShon Brooks and the Guangdong Southern Tigers on Monday. However, his debut was something of a mixed bag.
Weatherspoon somehow managed to get up 14 shots in just 14 minutes of play, but he misfired on 10 of those attempts (while going 2-of-6 from deep and 4-of-6 from the line). Consequently, he finished with 14 points for Tianjin but he did finish with a game-high three steals, so there’s that.
The Pioneers ended up losing the contest 93-79 after hitting just 36.7% of their shots overall and 18.8% from behind the arc as a team. The loss dropped them to 3-9 on the campaign.
Shooting Has Always Been the Bugbear With Weatherspoon
The idea that Weatherspoon would struggle from the field with a new team — even in the CBA — isn’t exactly a shocker. His unrefined perimeter game/lack of consistency from deep has been a thing for a while now. He’s only a career 18.8% three-shooter at the NBA level (and 31.6% in the G League).
It’s not crazy to think that his long-range struggles played a role in Golden State’s decision-making process during camp. Weatherspoon has definitely worked hard to become more of a shooting threat, though.
“I think it’s come a long way,” Weatherspoon said of his three-point prowess in October. “I think my confidence just with taking the shot has come a long way… I shot the three-ball decent [as a collegiate], I think just coming into the NBA I kind of lost that confidence… With all the time that I put in this summer, it’s come a long way. I’m very confident in shooting the three right now.”
Weatherspoon’s ability to get himself sorted offensively could end up being the difference in getting another opportunity or not, be it with the Dubs or another of the Association’s teams.
Over 11 appearances with the Warriors last season, Weatherspoon averaged 2.7 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.