NBA Summer League takeaways: Warriors rookies suffocated by Raptors
The Warriors faced the Raptors at Las Vegas’ Cox Pavilion hoping to play the role of spoiler on Thursday night.
Toronto needed to win to stay undefeated and in contention for one of four playoff spots.
Yes, there were real, bona fide stakes involved in the matchup. And perhaps, a little bit of pressure for those on the Raptors roster to possibly play one more game in front of scouts.
Neither team wowed offensively in a game the Raptors eventually won 81-69.
The Warriors shot just 31.4% from the field and 4 of 15 from behind the arc in the first half, but led 37-36 at halftime thanks to the Raptors making just 28.2% of their shot attempts.
The Raptors upped the defensive pressure in the second half, often picking up fullcourt, forcing 27 Warriors turnovers. the teams combined for 58 fouls.
Chris Manon led the Warriors with 14 points and nine rebounds, while first-round pick Collin Murray-Boyles put in 20 points for the Raptors.
Golden State will play a fifth and final Summer League game on Saturday against a to be announced opponenent at a yet to be determined time.
Rookie update
Will Richard, a rookie out of Florida and the team’s most consistent performer in Summer League, started his fourth consecutive game in Las Vegas.
The 6-foot-4 guard, as he has all summer, made hard cuts to the rim and took 3-pointers when open while also keeping the ball moving when he did not have an advantage.
Like the rest of the team, he was occasionally overwhelmed by the Raptors athleticism at times, but still scored seven and had a team-high four assists.
Meanwhile, Alex Toohey continued to show progress as a scorer. He did not hesitate on his 3-pointers, making 2 of 4. This included one make on a rookie-to-rookie kick-out pass from Richard late in the first half.
Toohey scored eight and also contributed four offensive rebounds.
Undrafted Vanderbilt product Manon played a third straight great offensive game.
The defensive-minded wing put in 14 points as hard-nosed driver, and of course he also found a way swat two blocks and grab two steals.
Armstrong off the bench
Tasmanian point guard Taran Armstrong sat out Tuesday’s victory over the Grizzlies as coach Lainn Wilson shuffled the lineup.
He brought the 6-foot-5 point guard off the bench against Toronto, and Armstrong immediately produced as the sixth man.
He pushed the pace and mixed it up as a rebounder early, dishing out one assist and grabbing a couple of boards in the first quarter.
More importantly, he gave the Warriors a capable ball-handler who could get Golden State into their sets during his three-minute stint.
Armstrong finished with eight points, five rebounds and two assists in 15 minutes.
Lainn Wilson continues to tinker with rotation
Armstrong was not the only player to take on a new role on Thursday. Coleman Hawkins got the start at center, but the Sacramento native did not impress in 15 minutes. He had no points, grabbed just two rebounds and had three turnovers. Hawkins did force two steals though.
After not playing on Tuesday, Isaiah Mobley came off the bench, while Jaden Shackelford started. Marques Bolden also came off the bench, and shotmaking guard LJ Cryer was unavailable.
USF’s Mogbo faces Bay Area team
USF alum Jonathan Mogbo did not dress against the Warriors.
Mogbo was a double-double machine at USF, averaging 14 points and 10.1 assists per game for the West Coast Conference program. After being the first pick in the second round of the 2024 draft, Mogbo established himself as a member of the Raptors rotation.
He averaged 6.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in just 20.4 minutes per game for Toronto.
Mogbo scored 12 points and pulled down eight boards against the Jase Richardson-led Magic on Sunday, and had four points and grabbed five rebounds off the Summer League bench on Tuesday.