Dub Hub: Draymond Green says Warriors ‘woke up’ after second quarter scuffle vs. Grizzlies

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Thursday, March 21st.

Warriors News:

Draymond Green explains how the second quarter scuffle ‘woke up’ the Warriors in their 137-116 win over the Grizzlies

Wiggs rounding into form just in time for Warriors’ playoff hopes | NBC Sports Bay Area

“Tonight I thought we did a better job of getting him the ball in some situations,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “There are games where he gets a little lost in the shuffle. I have to do a better job of putting him in positions where he can attack downhill.

“I thought that happened tonight, and he did a great job of recognizing what the defense was doing. He made several really nice passes. He rebounded well. Just a great night from Wiggs.”

‘Electric’ Kuminga played best game Kerr has seen from him vs. Grizz | NBC Sports Bay Area

“It gives us a different dimension, just those easy baskets,” Kerr said of Kuminga’s high-flying dunks against Memphis, which complemented his 26 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals on the night. “But it’s the force he played with tonight. I thought it was maybe the best game I’ve ever seen him play at both ends.

“He was playing with intensity defensively, he got deflections, he was guarding the ball. But the way he played downhill — sprinting the floor. He is so fast. He’s electric, and he’s really learning to use it more often and in key times. I thought tonight he was just brilliant ... It seems to me like the game is really making more sense to him now and slowing down a little bit, and it was really fun to watch Jonathan tonight.”

Chris Paul explains how his lifelong basketball experience makes the game easy for him today

Gary Payton II has made his Hall of Fame father proud | Andscape

“But the real thing about my son is, I don’t care about basketball. I really don’t. The best thing about him is every time somebody walks up to me, they tell me how great of a human being my son is. I don’t care about basketball. I really don’t because everything they say about your son is, ‘He’s great. He’s a great human.’ ”

Payton II stood against a wall listening intently, holding a glass of wine in his left hand and wiping away tears with his right forearm. He said later that his father’s words brought up confusion and pain from his childhood. Gary Payton Sr. gave his son the same renowned Oakland, California, tough love that he received from his father, Al “Mr. Mean” Payton. His father’s tough love, Payton Sr. said, pushed him to become an NBA star.

NBA News:

Inside Joel Embiid’s Olympics decision and why Team France’s ‘dream’ is far from reality | The Athletic

Collet coached Wembanyama last season in the French pro league and also for the few games in which Wembanyama has played for Team France in FIBA competition. Collet said he had intended to play Gobert (7-1), Wembanyama (7-4) and Embiid, the 7-foot, 2023 NBA MVP and career 34 percent shooter from 3-point range, together as starters.

The challenges presented to the rest of the world, and the inherent advantages France would have had, are obvious.

“It would be easy to make them play together, especially Victor with Joel, because with Victor’s mobility, he can really play the three,” Collet said. “To have them together on the court would have been very special. That’s why I was so disappointed.”

Cavaliers’ J.B. Bickerstaff says he’s been threatened by gamblers | ESPN

“They got my telephone number and were sending me crazy messages about where I live and my kids and all that stuff,” Bickerstaff said before the Cavs hosted the Miami Heat. “So it is a dangerous game and a fine line that we’re walking for sure.”

Bickerstaff said he told security and that the gambler was located.

“No charges,” Bickerstaff said. “But they found him.”

Suns’ Kevin Durant passes Shaq for 8th on the NBA’s All-Time Scoring List

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

How Trayce Jackson-Davis both simplifies and expands the Warriors’ playbook

Let’s go back to the “cut” and “P&R roll man” playtypes as categorized by Synergy. Cuts happen to be Jackson-Davis’ most frequent playtype (112 possessions, 35.7% of total possessions) and one of his most efficient: 1.384 points per possession (PPP), which is in the upper half (35th) among 99 players who have tallied at least 50 cuts this season.

He’s finished fewer possessions as the roll man in pick-and-roll situations (61 possessions, 19.4% of total possessions) but has been equally efficient: 1.393 PPP, seventh among 66 players this season who have finished at least 50 possessions as the roll man.

Player grades: Warriors vs. Grizzlies

Klay Thompson

25 minutes, 23 points, 2 assists, 1 steal, 9-for-18 shooting, 5-for-11 threes, 63.9% TS, +13

Lately I’ve been talking a lot about Klay showing he can do more than just shoot. He’s had a lot of games where he doesn’t shoot well, but still plays well because of everything else he did. This game temporarily flipped the script back: Thompson shot often and brilliantly, and did very little else. That works!

Grade: A-

Follow @unstoppablebaby on Twitter for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.