Warriors Recall McCaw, Jones After D-League Win
Golden State Warriors recall Patrick McCaw and Damian Jones from the Santa Cruz Warriors after a home win over the Northern Arizona Suns on Thursday.
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The Golden State Warriors have recalled both Patrick McCaw and Damian Jones from the Santa Cruz Warriors. McCaw and Jones were on a one-game assignment Thursday night at Kaiser Permanente Arena in which they both contributed to the 115-108 win over the D-League’s Northern Arizona Suns.
McCaw posted 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block on 6-for-17 shooting from the field, 1-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc, and 2-for-2 shooting from the free throw line.
Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said McCaw’s assignment was simply about getting the 21-year-old guard the kind of playing time he’s not currently afforded in Oakland. McCaw said it was exciting to have some time getting up and down, later reiterating what he told Blue Man Hoop pregame about playing with Damian Jones and his preseason teammates Cameron Jones, Scott Wood, and Elgin Cook.
“It was exciting. I was anxious just to play and be able to play with the guys — Damian, especially. That’s my guy,” said McCaw. “It was exciting. It was the first game to get my wind back up. It was fun, though. I enjoyed it.”
Unlike McCaw, Damian Jones didn’t fare too well against Northern Arizona, tallying two points, four rebounds, and three assists on 1-for-2 shooting from the field, 0-for-2 shooting from the charity stripe.
While there’s certainly more factors in a game that can be taken into account, Adam Johnson of D-League Digest asked Santa Cruz head coach Casey Hill during the postgame media session on whether he feels the phenomenal play of Sea Dubs center Dennis Clifford has been detriment to the development of Damian Jones.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say I agree with that. It’s not that we’re trying to throw post entry passes down in to Damian,” said Hill. “Like every once in a while, yeah, we throw him the ball, but the experience of him defending ball screens, setting ball screens and rolling, like rebounding and boxing out — those are the things he needs to really get into.”
“So maybe a little bit, but for the most part, he’s doing what he needs to do out there; and the film and all the practice we’re putting him in is going to be a big part of his development.”
Clifford notched a double-double on Thursday night against Northern Arizona, recording a game-high 26 points (11-13 FG, 4-7 FT),13 rebounds, one assist, and one block.
Clifford has seemingly looked more and more comfortable playing with Santa Cruz as the season has trekked on, but whether his development has hindered that of the Warriors’ most recent first round draft pick remains to be seen.
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