What are the Warriors' biggest takeaways from a sloppy summer league?
With 27 turnovers and 69 points.
Aggressive ball pressure applied against the Warriors stymied their 28-15 lead against the unbeaten Toronto Raptors, to whom they lost 81-69. Golden State concludes NBA summer league Saturday with consolation play against the Cleveland Cavaliers, as was finalized Thursday night.
A sparse but energetic crowd saw Chris Manon lead the Warriors with 14 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Will Richard added seven points, five rebounds and four assists while Alex Toohey tallied two 3-pointers, eight points and four rebounds.
'I liked the mentality of our guys. I never felt like they backed down,' summer league head coach Lainn Wilson said. 'The guys that we called upon gave everything they could, and that's all we could ask for.'
Golden State through seven games — including the California Classic at Chase Center — is 3-4 in summer league play. With the preset portion of its summer league finished, here are three sets of takeaways:
The second-round rookies: Richard (this year's 56th overall pick) during his six-game stint has flashed two-way tenacity as a bothersome on-ball defender for the Warriors, connecting possessions offensively. He shoots when he's open, drives past closeouts and looks for open teammates when he's covered.
The 6-foot-4-inch wing also senses when to screen and cut when he's working offensively off the ball, occasionally operating as a ballhandling initiator.
'Just doing a little bit of everything,' Richard, 22, said Tuesday after a win over the Memphis Grizzlies. 'We have a lot of guys who can do that as well. Just trying to keep it in my role and take the opportunity when it's there.'
Richard this summer is averaging 11.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 43.1% amid 6-of-29 shooting from 3-point range. His streaky showing from beyond the arc hasn't stopped him from hoisting without hesitation so long as he's uncovered.
As for Toohey (the 52nd pick), 21, he's eased his way into summer league play — configuring NBA feel and speed after playing two seasons in Australia's NBL. As he adjusted, the 6-8 forward sought to match opposing physicality by initiating contact during drives and battling for position defensively.
Finishing through length and strength was a struggle, though Toohey remained aggressive attacking. He's averaged 8.0 points shooting 26.8%, including 4-of-14 from 3-point range, to go with 4.4 rebounds. Wilson highlighted Toohey's 'overall toughness and physicality,' explaining 'a lot of guys have tried to go at him and have tried to push them around and he hasn't backed down one bit, which is always good to see from a coach's perspective.'
Toohey for his part said he's feeling more comfortable playing in Golden State's summer system 'and I think just kind of getting my body right, having a few niggles early on, having to sort that out and it's going to be a long season, so you've got to make sure body is right. That's just as important as playing itself.'
Two-way signees: Jackson Rowe didn't play against the Raptors, halting his steady seven-game showing as the team's lone participant who played in 2024-25 for the Warriors. The sturdy forward, 28, averaged 9.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals — shooting 49% from the field and 31.3% from 3-point range.
He's an active defender, screener and cutter who doesn't require offensive usage.
Taran Armstrong, 23, flashed pace from the point with advancing passes and purposeful pushes for transition offense or quickly initiated halfcourt actions. Ball pressure could be bothersome as he, too, adjusts to the speed of play. A streaky shooter, he also wouldn't hesitate to fire when open from 3-point range.
Through five summer matchups, Armstrong averaged 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting 38.7% from the field and 36.8% (7 of 19) from 3-point range.
The best of the rest: Manon has proved an aggressive defender guarding the wing who maintains the rhythm of offensive possessions by properly shooting, driving or passing. Coleman Hawkins has floor-spacing potential as a power forward or center, doubling as a proficient passer.
Gabe Madsen is shooting 50% from 3-point range.
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