Five Warriors observations: Lindy Waters III hits the game-winner to beat the Clippers

HONOLULU – Here are five observations from the Warriors' season-opening 91-90 win over the Clippers on Saturday afternoon in Hawaii.

1. The winner of the Lindy Waters III game

Three times in the final 11 seconds, the Warriors engineered an inbounds to get Lindy Waters III moving and make a game-winning three-pointer. The Clippers deflected the first two passes back out of bounds.

The Warriors then briefly moved on from Waters. Reece Beekman went off script and drove in an off-balance floater to tie the game. He missed it. The Clippers threw the loose ball out of bounds. After the whistle, Steph Curry, resting and ready to put the organization's postgame travel plans into action, shouted the instruction from the sideline: “Just 3 seconds.” Nobody wants overtime.

So they went back to Waters, who had already hit four 3s in his short time on the court. Quinten Post and Gui Santos set up two screens. Santos caught Waters' man. Waters curled up for a 26-footer to end it.

Lindy Waters in his Warriors debut (preseason): Five 3s in 15 minutes, including this game-winner at the buzzer pic.twitter.com/NeoIR2mDyi

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 6, 2024

The Oklahoma City Thunder, loaded with draft picks and talent, didn't have the space for Waters when they restructured their roster this summer. The Warriors took advantage of this numbers game and flipped the 52nd pick in this year's draft to secure him a non-guaranteed $2.2 million contract.

Waters is considered the 13th man in a crowded rotation, but he is close to being added to the roster and appears more than willing to take over a rotation spot if the opportunity presents itself. He did this several times in recent seasons with the Thunder and in his debut with the Warriors he scored five three-pointers in 15 minutes, including the dagger.

“He’s more than just a shooter,” Steve Kerr said. “He has good size. He's more than just a spot-up guy. You saw the last one. He got out of a pindown. He is a good mover. He also understands the game well. We’re thrilled to have him.”

2. The larger forecourt look

Without Andrew Wiggins, who missed Week 1 due to illness and was on the bench wearing a mask on Saturday, the Warriors were able to take a look at Jonathan Kuminga as the starting small forward alongside Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis.

It's a huge frontcourt with defensive potential, but given the lack of spacing there are concerns about the modern offense.

“Last year we didn’t feel comfortable going that route,” Kerr said. “We would like to play Draymond in the four-man team. Trayce gives us a shot blocker next to him. We want to play JK. If he's ready for the three and things work out with the boys, then we'll see. If not, we will adapt. But now it’s time to try.”

Curry and De'Anthony Melton started in the backcourt. This group of five played together for the first seven minutes and were outscored 17-12. Despite pleas from Kerr earlier in the season to better protect the ball in transition, they were sloppy early on and allowed some open threes.

“Not great,” Kerr said. “But it’s pre-season for everyone. We want to continue to pay attention to this. All three boys are talented players. You want to have your best players playing together on the floor, but it has to click. We’ll keep trying.”

Their most beautiful sequence came towards the end of their time together. Curry skipped a pass for a steal and both Jackson-Davis and Kuminga ran the floor well, producing a quick break dunk from Curry to Jackson-Davis to Kuminga.

Stealing Steph ➡ JK Finish 💪 pic.twitter.com/rIz5PO72hE

– Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 5, 2024

3. Moses Moody's unknown rotation slot

Kerr cut all five starters seven minutes into the game and replaced them with this second unit: Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Gary Payton II, Kyle Anderson and Kevon Looney.

That meant Moses Moody was the 11th man in the starting lineup in this first preview of the season, despite Klay Thompson's departure and Wiggins' absence. No matter how the image changes, Moody can't seem to get a clear rotation point.

But Moody did what he often does: he produced when he finally got the chance. In an extended stint in the second quarter, he had a backcut for a layup, two quick-release three-pointers, a block and a steal. He scored a team-high plus-11 in eight minutes of the first half. The buzz in training camp was how well Moody had played – and shot – all week in Hawaii.

4. State of the game

25 – This is how many 3s the Warriors attempted in the first half. Kerr has said all week that he wants to be a fast team that makes high 3-point volume. In their first 24 minutes together, their rotation players combined to score more than 3 per minute. They only did five of them.

5. Quote of the day

Kerr on the combination of Melton and Curry in the backcourt: “They look great together. They are looking for each other. De'Anthony is a really good shooter and also a playmaker. He gets involved in everything defensively. I’m a big fan.”

Melton appears to be the early favorite for the starting shooting guard spot.

(Photo of Lindy Waters III taking the decisive shot: Darryl Oumi / Getty Images)