Lepper: Thoughts on Exhibition Game No. 6: Warriors 126, L..

Thoughts on Exhibition Game No. 6: Warriors 126, Lietuvos Rytas 106
48minutes.net


Warriors captain Stephen Jackson has already taken over Baron Davis’
old locker in the prime corner spot.

Could he really take over Davis’ old position on the court as well?

Jackson finally appeared as an honest-to-God true point guard Tuesday
night, something coach Don Nelson had been wanting to see for much of
the exhibition season. And in a fairly routine 126-106 drubbing of an
overmatched Lietuvos Rytas squad from Lithuania, Jackson’s debut was
the high point: 28 points, three assists, three steals and just two
turnovers in 33 minutes.

“I enjoyed it, but it’s not what I think, it’s what coach thinks,”
Jackson said. “I think I did pretty decent for my first time.”

Nelson enjoyed it as well, especially since moving Jackson to the 1
meant he could get Kelenna Azubuike on the floor without having to
yank either Jackson or Corey Maggette. It also meant the Warriors
could switch defensive assignments with impunity, making them that
much stronger.

“I liked (Jackson) at point, actually,” Nelson said. “I thought when
he tried to do too much, he got himself into a little trouble, but
when he moved the ball, the team did well and were able to pick it up
defensively, able to switch the screen-and-rolls more easily.”

In half-court sets, there did not appear to be a huge difference
between Jackson as point guard versus the Jackson who initiated the
offense from the 2 and 3 spots last season. But Jackson was much more
cautious in bringing the ball up than when he was at the 2 or 3.

“I wasn’t focused on beating my man,” Jackson said. “I was just
focused on being solid, getting the ball up the court, getting into
the offense, and once the ball comes back to me, then it’s time to be
aggressive.”

In that vein, Jackson took up Davis’ tradition of shooting 3-pointers
in a flurry, hoisting five in the third quarter and making four en
route to 16 points in the third period alone.

Here are some other items to ruminate on from Oracle Arena:

** First off, it must be said: Those were some ugly uniforms the
visitors were rocking. That’s a whole lot of red and black, right
there.

** The Warriors also tried a fair amount of Maggette at power forward,
with pretty average results. It was a strange night for Maggette, who
didn’t look nearly as good on the court as he did on the stat sheet,
where he totaled 17 points and five rebounds in 26 minutes. He seemed
oddly disconnected from the rest of the team, as if playing his own
game, and wound up with five turnovers and a defensive effort that was
something less than top-notch.

“The concentration was not as good on the defensive end as I would
have liked it,” Nelson said.

** Andris Biedrins looked rock-solid in his 23 minutes: 4-for-4
shooting and nine points, five assists, and three rebounds. If the
team can get that level of production for 36 minutes a game, night in
and night out, that would be huge.

** Brandan Wright had a couple of nice drives from the perimeter and
even showed a crossover leading to a 12-foot pullup jumper. Obviously,
defending a player such as New Orleans All-Star David West is vastly
different from stopping Milko Bjelica, but it marked another step
forward for a former rookie who could get next to no run last season.

** Newly minted starting point guard DeMarcus Nelson picked up three
fouls in the opening 3:31. There’s being aggressive, and then there’s
being over amped.

** Marco Belinelli stepped into a pair of wide-open shots and missed
each. But he drilled a 17-footer with the familiar leg kick. Who needs
balance?

** Outside of Jackson’s 5-for-8 on 3-pointers, the Warriors went 0-
for-7 on treys. They also finished up with only 21 assists on 45
buckets, and while some of that can be attributed to getting 36 points
off turnovers (often on breakaway buckets where there is no assist),
it’s also indicative of too much ball stagnation.

** There are going to be some bruised bodies at practice Wednesday:
C.J. Watson went flying over the row of seats on the baseline after a
first-half layup. Wright came up limping at one point in the third
quarter, although he continued to play, at least briefly. And Azubuike
crashed to the ground after a hard foul in the third period as well.

** Marcus Williams did not get off the bench, despite a single plea
(6:37 a.m. EDIT: from the crowd) during a second-half lull. Nelson’s
doghouse can be a pretty lonely place; hopefully Patrick O’Bryant left
behind some reading material.

– Geoff

On Oct 22, 9:54 am, Allen <lonewolfb... RemoveThis @gmail.com> wrote:
> Thoughts on Exhibition Game No. 6: Warriors 126, Lietuvos Rytas 106
> 48minutes.net
>
> Warriors captain Stephen Jackson has already taken over Baron Davis’
> old locker in the prime corner spot.
>
> Could he really take over Davis’ old position on the court as well?
>
> Jackson finally appeared as an honest-to-God true point guard Tuesday

That is just ridiculous. Can't wait to see Nellie try and match him
up defensively with Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, Tony
Parker, Allen Iverson, Baron, etc.