What we learned about Warriors from NBA Summer League

After eight games in two cities the Warriors concluded their Summer League schedule on Saturday They beat the Cleveland Cavaliers - at Thomas Mack Center in Las Vegas Chris Manon led Golden State with points on of shooting while teammates Ja Vier Francis and Blake Hinson combined for points UCLA product Jules Bernard scored off the bench Now that the summer exhibitions are over it is time to figure out what can be gleaned from the games Here s what we learned Will Richard looks like a steal During the predraft process general manager Mike Dunleavy made sure to emphasize that the unit would like but was not expecting to select an immediate contributor in the second round If Summer League is anything to go by Dunleavy might be pleasantly surprised by at least one of the unit s two draft picks Will Richard who helped Florida win the national championship last spring was the Warriors largest part consistent performer during the summer games Unlike a large number of teams that try to give their draft picks reps as the No scoring option Warriors summer coach Lainn Wilson placed the -foot- -year-old Richard in the position of a -and-D wing one that he will likely play if he receives minutes during the NBA season The rookie thrived in that role averaging points on shooting in his four games in Las Vegas displaying a willingness to fire away off the catch and attack the basket on cuts and drives While his defense can be handsy at times leading to fouls Richard has not backed down from high-profile matchups Toohey a work in progress Alex Toohey does not fit the traditional mold of a project athlete being neither exceptionally athletic nor a knockdown shooter But after Summer League there is no question the -year-old Australian forward has a procedures to go before he is NBA-ready Flashes of talent are there for the -foot- power forward like when he made a series of nifty reverse layups around Utah s rotation center Kyle Filipowski during a -point night He also took advantage of ballhandling opportunities by bringing the ball up the floor in transition and appeared calm in open space But Toohey s lack of burst was also apparent in the helter-skelter Summer League circumstances and he had trouble getting into gaps against NBA-caliber defenses His poor shooting percentages reflected that Expect to see Toohey spend most of of the year advancing in Santa Cruz Lainn Wilson can coach The Warriors had arguably the least-heralded Summer League roster Second-year center Quinten Post did not play and there were no ballyhooed prospects on a roster populated by NBA hopefuls benchwarmers and future all-stars in Puerto Rico s Baloncesto Superior Nacional So for the Warriors to win of games while shuffling through lineups like a hand of blackjack at the nearby Aria was a credit to Wilson s ability to squeeze every last ounce of talent out of his squad The former video coordinator was in the last few days promoted to the head coach of the Santa Cruz Warriors which means he will be in charge of emerging at least a sparse of the players from his overachieving Summer League squad Armstrong makes good first impression Despite spending the last four months of the season with the Warriors organization after being signed from Australia s National Basketball League an air of mystery still surrounded -year-old Tasmanian point guard Taran Armstrong The - floor general impressed in his Summer League minutes as the only true table-setter on the roster Entering Saturday s finale he averaged points rebounds and assists while playing with an assorted bunch Like his Australian brethren Toohey Armstrong is not a particularly twitchy athlete which proved in Thursday s loss to the Raptors But he made the majority of his catch-and-shoot opportunities and sprayed the ball around as a passer For a Warriors crew desperate for young and cheap players Armstrong might be a factor in the rotation Related Articles Taran Armstrong passing Summer League test with lessons learned from Warriors legends NBA Summer League takeaways Warriors rookies suffocated by Raptors Jason Jase Richardson II son of beloved Warrior pursues his own NBA dream Warriors Summer League takeaways Will Richard leads egalitarian attack vs Grizzlies Warriors unveil West Coast-centric preseason schedule Other Warriors notables Chris Manon may not make an NBA roster but the undrafted rookie forward seemingly earned a pro basketball contract somewhere with his high-energy style He cannot shoot but that does not matter when you play with the kind of potency and defend at the level the Vanderbilt alum does Second-year big man Jackson Rowe did his best Draymond Green impression during Summer League making a number of impressive passes as the short-roll playmaker The -year-old could be a factor in the Warriors rotation this season Coleman Hawkins was quite vocal about his belief that he should have been drafted and the -foot- Sacramento native was presumably right Aside from an atrocious event against the Raptors he was a high-energy and athletic big who flashed various high-level passing ability out of the high post Gabe Madsen s -point outburst against the Jazz six -pointers in the first half was the kind of random fun that can occur in the Summer League And shooting over from -point land and the field as whole will pique particular club s interest whether it s in the U S or overseas A year after tearing his Achilles Marques Bolden made his return to the court Even if he does not make it back to the NBA he will likely sign with a G-League association or play outside of the U S