The Warriors may have stumbled into one of their easiest roster calls of the summer.
With the main roster still drawing the loudest attention and the team linked to LeBron James, Golden State’s two-way picture is starting to sharpen fast. Graham Ike and Lachlan Olbrich have both made their case in Summer League, but the recent addition of Charles Bassey last week makes it look like the Warriors will only have room for one of those big men on a two-way deal.
That edge may now belong to Ike.
Olbrich’s injury during the first half of Tuesday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies could hardly have come at a worse time for the Australian big man. He was in street clothes on the sideline Thursday, while Ike took a major step forward in Golden State’s 87-77 win over the New York Knicks, a result that pushed the Warriors to the brink of a semi-final berth.
Ike made the most of the opportunity. In nearly 26 minutes, the undrafted Gonzaga product put up 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists, a steal and three blocks.
He was the Warriors’ second-leading scorer behind LJ Cryer, who knocked down five threes and finished with 17 points, four rebounds and five assists. Yaxel Lendeborg, the 11th overall pick, had a rough night offensively, scoring just three points on 1-of-9 shooting, though he did add six rebounds, six assists and two blocks.
The performance mattered because Ike had already been building momentum. Through his first six games dating back to the California Classic, he had averaged 8.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists. Against New York, he took that production and raised it another notch, making his case even harder to ignore with Olbrich unavailable.
There’s still plenty of time before anything is finalized. Summer League isn’t over, and the Warriors still have the offseason, training camp and preseason ahead. But the outline is getting clearer.
LJ Cryer and Malevy Leons are the incumbents from the end of last season, and both appear to have done enough to keep their spots. Cryer has been especially strong, to the point that there have even been calls for him to move onto the main roster as a backup point guard.
That leaves one opening, and Ike is now pushing hard for it. He’s on an Exhibit 10 contract after going undrafted, but with Nate Williams no longer eligible for a two-way deal, the third two-way spot looks like it could be his to lose.
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Warriors Summer League Momentum Just Hit A Frustrating Reality Check
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Memphis had the cleaner offensive night, led by Javon Smalls 26 points and supported by Brendan Hausens 20 off the bench, while Golden State spent much of the game trying to answer a scoring burst it could not quite match. The Warriors now turn to the New York Knicks in their next tournament game, with a chance to reset quickly and see whether the loss was just a stumble or a sign that the margin gets tighter from here. [Read more 🡒]