So shorthanded are the Golden State Warriors at the moment that, when one of their nine active players Wednesday night got to the foul line, he had to shoot his free throws left-handed.
“I’m sure our fans don’t know this, but Malevy is right-handed,” coach Steve Kerr said.
Nobody would blame you for not knowing the name Malevy Leons, a two-way forward with as many games this year in the G League as the NBA. Nor the fact that the 26-year-old undrafted Dutchman hurt his right wrist a few games ago and continued to play through it.
Let alone the fact that it’s the same wrist he uses to do most things, including shoot.
“I just try to aim at the basket and hope and pray that it goes in,” Leons said.
Leons gutted through 30 minutes with one operational wrist and actually had competition for the grittiest effort in the Warriors’ 127–113 loss to Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.
Nate Williams, his G League teammate, played all but 85 seconds of a possible 48 minutes. It was the most minutes logged by a Warriors player in a regulation contest since Harrison Barnes in 2014.
“I’m not tired at all,” said Williams, who scored a team-high 18 points. “I love this.”
Falling short in spite of tremendous effort may not be too common around the NBA these days, but it has been a theme of the past two months for the league’s aging, fading dynasty.
The Warriors are 9–17 in the 26 games Steph Curry has missed since Jan. 30 with a knee issue. They were missing eight other rotation regulars against the Spurs, the NBA’s hottest team that improved to 26–2 since the start of February. They’re all but locked in to the No. 10 seed and a road play-in matchup against either the Clippers or Trail Blazers, and another play-in game away from home to follow if they win.
But there’s something to be said for trying in the age of tanking.
“That’s not what we do,” Kerr responded before the game to why not throw in the towel and try for better odds in a highly touted draft class. “We compete. That’s the job. Steph’s in the final stages of his career. If he has a chance to compete in the playoffs, he’s going to want to.”
That possibility is looking all the more likely after Curry participated in a 5-on-5 scrimmage earlier this week and went through his entire pregame shooting routine Wednesday.
“That’s the whole point of trying to get everybody healthy — just give yourself a chance,” Kerr said. “The play-in is literally about one game. Try to win one game and if you’re a 9 or 10 try to win one more. If we have Steph and we’re healthy, if we have Al (Horford) and Kristaps (Porzingis), Draymond (Green), I know we can do that.”
The efforts they’ve gotten from others in the interim should add to Kerr’s confidence. Brandin Podziemski and Gui Santos have shouldered larger loads and been ironmen. Green, now 36, has battled through back problems to largely remain on the court.
The tall task of guarding Wembanyama mostly fell on Green, the one-handed Leons and Omer Yurtseven, a 7-footer on his second 10-day contract. Leons was the only one not to pick up five fouls while the 7-foot-4 phenom went off for 41 points in 29 minutes.
“I mean, he’s pretty tall,” the 6-foot-9 Leons said of the experience. “I try my best. I watched how Draymond does it. He’s a great example to follow and try to copy once I got into the game.”
Leons said he hurt his wrist during the Warriors’ loss at Detroit on March 20. He has been shooting free throws left-handed in practice ever since. It paid off with 1-of-3 going in Wednesday. He opted for the opposite hand, rather than Rick Barry-style.
“If I was him I’d probably have to go underhanded,” said Seth Curry, who scored 12 in 10 minutes off the bench in his second game back from a two-week absence. “But it’s impressive seeing him go out there and not be afraid or ashamed to try stuff out and be available.”
Kerr said he watched the Trail Blazers beat the Clippers on Tuesday, shifting focus to the two teams that will determine the Warriors’ play-in matchup. At the same time, he’s scheming up rotations and lineup pairings that incorporate their full complement, including both Currys.
With another game against the Cavaliers looming less than 24 hours later, Kerr said he wouldn’t bother going over game film from this one with his players. But he had one takeaway.
“Just how scrappy our guys are. We’ve got a lot of guys who play hard and play the right way,” Kerr said. “I told the guys every game matters the way we handle ourselves, the way we play matters, and I thought they handled themselves beautifully tonight.”
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