For the level, they are overly skilled. After making their G League debuts for Santa Cruz on Friday night, rookies Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis of the Golden State Warriors provided that as their primary takeaway.
With a combined 52 points, the two were quite effective as they helped the Warriors defeat the Stockton Kings 125-114 at Kaiser Permanente Arena.
Both Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis have persisted in demanding greater playing time in the Golden State Warriors’ rotation.
The first minute of the game saw Jackson-Davis open the scoring with a highlight poster dunk, the first of many slams for the 57th overall choice. The 23-year-old finished with a game-high 28 points, 12 rebounds, one assist, and one blocked shot in addition to his extremely effective 11–13 shooting from the field.
Podziemski finished the game with 24 points on 10–18 shooting, including 3-5 from three-point range, making him the second-leading scorer in the contest. In addition to his four assists and seven rebounds, the 19th overall pick had a strong all-around game.
Their influence was also evident in the plus-minus, where Podziemski came in second at +14 and Jackson-Davis led the team with a game-high +15. In the first half, the two scored 34 of their 52 points collectively, sending a strong message to Steve Kerr, who was watching his players and cheering on his son Nick, who was making his coaching debut.
In other news, Golden State forward Gui Santos recorded 19 points, three rebounds, and four assists after joining the team earlier this week. The Brazilian made only one of his seven three-point attempts but finished 6-14 from the field.
Guard Lester Quinones, 22, finished 4-11 with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists; however, fellow two-way player Usman Garuba did not have the same effect. After 13 minutes of fouling out, the former first-round pick finished with four points, six rebounds, and four turnovers off the bench.
Santa Cruz got off to a quick start in the first quarter, going on a 14-0 run to lead by 12 at the half. They finished the quarter with 40 points. In the third quarter, the Kings rallied to tie the game, but the Warriors held on for a double-digit victory.
On Saturday afternoon, the Warriors will play the Salt Lake City Stars in the second game of a back-to-back. However, Jackson-Davis and Podziemski might not play since they could be called up to the starting lineup.
On Saturday night, Golden State will play the first of ten games in which they will play eight of them at home, against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Chase Center.