Lindy Waters III, Buddy Hield rated in Warriors win over Pelicans

The Golden State Warriors had arguably their most impressive win of the young NBA season on Tuesday night, knocking off the visiting New Orleans Pelicans. Despite the absence of superstar Steph Curry, starter Andrew Wiggins and key veteran De’Anthony Melton, and despite losing the first quarter 31-14, the Warriors put on a show to earn their first home win of the year and improve to 3-1 .

Behind a spectacular display of defense and threes, the Warriors won each of the final three quarters by double digits en route to an emphatic 124-106 victory. However, there is no time to celebrate as they are back in the lab to face the same Pelicans team in the same arena at the same time.

Until then, we can only judge the performances. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance of that player.

Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a measure of scoring efficiency that takes into account threes and free throws. Last year the league average TS was 58.0%.

Draymond Green

29 minutes, 3 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 4 fouls, 1-for-4 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 37.5% TS, +15

It was clear that if the Warriors were going to win without Curry, it would have to include a strong defensive performance. And even though the Dubs got kicked in the mouth in the first frame, Green still set the tone defensively by making life difficult for Pelicans star Zion Williamson.

Williamson had a decent game — he finished with an efficient 31 points but turned the ball over eight times — but I thought Green played him great. The shots he made against Draymond were incredibly difficult attempts; as they say, great offense beats good defense.

It was also Dray’s best playmaking game, with seven dimes against no turnovers. Setting up his teammates was crucial with Curry out, but keeping the Warriors from getting sloppy and turning the ball over was arguably even more important.

Grade: B+
Bonus after the game: Led the team in assists.

Trayce Jackson-Davis

17 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1-on-1 shooting, 1-on-2 free throws, 79.8% TS, +6

TJD showed how quickly he has learned the system and how intuitive a player he is with some great play in this game. The five assists in just 17 minutes reflect quite accurately how clever he was with the ball.

That said, he wasn’t much of a scorer, and he was bullied a bit in the paint, both on defense and on the glass. The Dubs were bounced back 44-35 and he played a part in that.

Grade: B-

Buddy Hield

29 minutes, 28 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals, 3 fouls, 9-for-18 shooting, 7-for-11 threes, 3-for-3 free throws, 72.5% TS, +9

After a game-and-a-half hiatus, Hield, who appeared in the first two games of the year, showed up with a vengeance. With the Warriors losing so much spacing with Curry and Wiggins out, Steve Kerr inserted Hield into the starting lineup, and it didn’t go well at first. He forced some shots and missed others, which we’ve grown accustomed to, and at halftime he had a measly three points on 1-for-8 shooting.

As the second half began, Hield was no longer in the starting five as Kerr had turned to the hot hand. But that didn’t stop him from being the star of the half as he erupted for 25 points on 8-for-10 shooting, with 19 of those points coming in the fourth quarter as the Warriors pulled away from the Pelicans.

On the TNT broadcast, Hall of Famer Reggie Miller said he had a halftime conversation with Hield, though he did not divulge what was said. Maybe the Warriors can figure out what it was, though, so they can recreate it.

While Hield didn’t fill the rest of the stat sheet, he played phenomenal defense as part of a highly active team effort. Keep it up mate!

Grade: A
Bonus after the game: Led the team in points.

Moses Moody

17 minutes, 14 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 5-for-7 shooting, 4-for-5 threes, 100.0% TS, -7

Moody was also inserted into the starting lineup to give the Dubs some extra spacing with Curry and Wiggins out. And spaces he certainly provided, with a phenomenal performance shooting the ball.

Aside from the shooting, Moody had some tough luck. He drew the starting assignment on All-Star Brandon Ingram and I thought he played Ingram decently … but Ingram still reached deep into his bag of tricks and pulled out for a dynamic offensive first quarter.

Moody’s role fluctuates from match to match, but his performance is just so steady. He’s a coach’s dream, even if people are frustrated with how Kerr uses him.

Grade: B+
Bonus after the game: Worst plus/minus on the team.

Brandin Podziemski

34 minutes, 19 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 2 fouls, 8-for-18 shooting, 3-for-8 threes, 52.8% TS, +17

Like Moody and Hield, Podziemski made his first start of the season. And like those two, he showed up and showed up. Podziemski brought the same energy to the starting unit that he has brought off the bench this year, even for 34 minutes — a highlight for any Warriors player this year. He was very active on defense, with countless deflections to go along with his counting stats, and he ran the offense well without a single turnover.

The scoring efficiency still isn’t there, but he had a decent number of misses on bail-out shots in this game, taking a tough shot with the shot clock running. Right now, what he was supposed to do best when he was drafted (shoot) is arguably the weakest part of his game … and it’s a testament to how complete a player he’s become.

Grade: A-

Jonathan Kuminga

28 minutes, 17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 6-for-13 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 4-for-4 free throws, 57.6% TS, +4

Kuminga was moved to the bench, with Kerr explaining after the game that it was only due to a lack of spacing, and would cut minutes from Kuminga, Green and Jackson-Davis. Kerr said he told Kuminga it would be a big game for him, just in a different role, and he wasn’t wrong. He may not have started, but he still played a season high in minutes while clearly having his best game of the year.

He is an absolute menace when moving downhill. New Orleans had no answer for Kuminga as he attacked the basket, with or without the ball. And he played strong man defense on Ingram.

Kerr relied heavily on Kuminga … he was the first sub after seven minutes and stayed on the pitch for the next 15 minutes of action. His athleticism gave NOLA fits.

Degree: B+

Kevon Looney

20 minutes, 4 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 2-for-5 shooting, 40.0% TS, +11

I’ve really enjoyed watching Looney transition into this new role over the past two years. He’s gone from the slow and steady center that anchors the starting lineup to the spark plug that brings relentless energy and effort off the bench.

It shows as much on the glass as Looney now has 36 rebounds in just 68 minutes … 20 of which are offensive rebounds. He’s just relentless and seems to both fire up his teammates and frustrate his opponents.

Grade: B
Bonus after the game: Tied for the team lead in rebounds.

Lindy Waters III

31 minutes, 21 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 fouls, 8-for-13 shooting, 3-for-7 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 75.6% TS, +26

And now, your star in the game. Who would have guessed when Kerr announced before the season opener that Waters would be out of the rotation to begin the year, that he would be one of the first two players on the team to get 30 minutes in a game? Or that, at any points on the season, would his scoring game be higher than Curry’s?

It’s been clear that Waters deserves to be in the rotation, but that there’s just no way to have a 13-man rotation. So with three key players injured, it was clear that Waters would get the opportunity … one he will repeatedly get as different players pick up the absence.

And he showed why the Warriors are so excited to have him as part of their depth. He entered the first quarter for his first meaningful minutes of the year, and immediately made such an impact that he replaced Hield in the starting lineup for the second half.

He was electric from beyond the arc, relentlessly attacked the basket, was a beast on the glass and played exceptional defense.

Waters was the best player on the court. Go freaking figure.

Grade: A+
Bonus after the game: Tied for team lead in rebounds, best plus/minus on team.

Gui Santos

2 minutes, 0 points, 1 assist, 1 turnover, -3

While Waters was able to get into the rotation due to injuries, Santos was not, which isn’t that surprising. He still has work to do to get into the rotation, even in games like this, but it’s great to see the team win comfortably enough to get him minutes.

Grade: Incomplete

Kyle Andersen

20 minutes, 1 point, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 1 foul, 0-for-9 shooting, 0-for-6 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, 5.1% TS, +9

Unfortunately, the reworked jump shot we heard about in the preseason has yet to arrive in Anderson’s locker. He is now 4-for-18 from the field and 1-for-11 from three-point range.

But other than that this was such a Slo Mo game. He made smart pass after smart pass, and was an absolute pest in defense, stealing every five minutes with just one mistake. He’s just such a dashing veteran to have on the team, even if his value is limited when he’s not shooting well.

Grade: C

Gary Payton II

8 minutes, 7 points, 1 rebound, 1 block, 1 turnover, 3-for-5 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, 70.0% TS, -3

It doesn’t matter how many minutes he plays, GPII always seems to impact the game. He didn’t have any of the team’s 14 steals, but it sure felt like he created a whole lot of turnovers. Thoughts and prayers to NOLA’s ball handlers.

Grade: B+

Reece Beekman

2 minutes, 0 points, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 foul, -3

Beekman, an undrafted player on a two-way contract, was active for the first time in his career and made his NBA debut. It may have been just two minutes of garbage time where he didn’t get a shot, but it’s the culmination of a lifetime of hard work paying off. Always love to see debuts. Congratulations, Reece!

Grade: A+

Pat Spencer

3 minutes, 4 points, 2-for-3 shooting, 66.7% TS, 0 +/-

Spencer was also active for the first time this year, making his season debut. He’s doing some interesting things, so don’t be surprised if he ends up in a bigger role at some point this year.

Grade: Incomplete

Tuesday’s inactive: Steph Curry, De’Anthony Melton, Quinten Post, Andrew Wiggins