Getty Bob Myers and Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors are reigning NBA champions and cobbled together a better than average offseason. Roster losses, however, have left a couple major questions that still need to be answered.
At the top of that list is how will the Dubs replace Gary Payton II, a defensive specialist who along the perimeter who played crucial minutes in the playoffs. Payton recently left the Bay Area for the Portland Trail Blazers and more than $26 million, capitalizing on his breakout campaign.
The Warriors’ answer to Payton’s departure could be Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who the team plans to try out this week, per a Tuesday, September 6, report from Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Hollis-Jefferson found himself out of the league last season after six straight years of NBA basketball, which included stints with the Trail Blazers, the Toronto Raptors and the Brooklyn Nets. However, Sean Deveney of Heavy.com spoke with a Western Conference assistant coach on Tuesday who gave voice to why the defensive-minded wing couldn’t find a home in 2021-22 and why that might change with the Dubs this upcoming season.
He can’t shoot, that is the thing. We are so in search of the 3-and-D kind of guy that I think we lose sight of guys who can contribute without making 3s. And Rondae, he does a pretty good job attacking the rim, scoring in the paint. Maybe not the usual way we see today, but that should not hide the fact that he is an excellent defender, a 1-through-5 defender, he can guard all positions. He is a guy you can trust on the defensive end and that should get some value.
He is a lot like Payton Jr. in that respect. No one wanted him because it was, “Hey, this guy can’t hit the 3.” Okay sure, but he is a defensive monster. Rondae is not at that level, but he should have a spot in the NBA with all the things he can do on the defensive side.
Warriors Workout 4 Players Including Hollis-Jefferson, McLemore
GettyRondae Hollis-Jefferson (left) and Harry Giles III (right) of the Portland Trail Blazers laugh during warmups before a game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Hollis-Jefferson is not the only veteran player the Warriors will take a look at this week. Charania and Slater noted that Golden State will try out four free agents with recognizable names over the course of the next week.
The Warriors are bringing in several veteran free agents for workouts this week, including:
◻️ Ben McLemore
◻️ Elfrid Payton
◻️ Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
◻️ Kenneth Faried
Story with @ShamsCharania and @anthonyVslater:
“The Warriors are bringing in several veteran free agents for workouts this week, including: Ben McLemore, Elfrid Payton, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson [and] Kenneth Faried,” The Athletic Twitter account posted Tuesday.
Like Hollis-Jefferson, McLemore’s most recent NBA work was done in Portland. Payton was most recently a member of the Phoenix Suns, while Faried hasn’t been an NBA player since the 2018-19 season, when he had stints with both the Nets and the Houston Rockets.
Warriors Add DiVincenzo Over Offseason to Replace Payton, Porter
GettyFormer Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings wing Donte DiVincenzo warms up before a 2021 game against the Orlando Magic.
Payton wasn’t the only meaningful contributor the Warriors lost this offseason. Golden State also said goodbye to Otto Porter Jr., who joined the Raptors, and Nemanja Bjelica, who left the NBA entirely to play professionally in Turkey.
One of the Warriors’ most immediate responses to those departures was to add two-way wing player Donte DiVincenzo via free agency. DiVincenzo played most of his career with the Milwaukee Bucks before joining the Sacramento Kings for the final 25 games of last season.
DiVincenzo put up 10.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 2021-22, per Basketball Reference, and was named among the most underrated signings of the offseason by Bleacher Report.
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Warriors Work Out Former Nets Forward to Fill Payton II Role