Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Friday, September 6th. In an interview with PEOPLE, Steph Curry explains how he uses doubt to fuel his motivation for the upcoming NBA season. Former Warriors champion Juan Toscano-Anderson made his return to the Santa Cruz Warriors on Wednesday. Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram skips voluntary minicamp amidst trade rumors, according to The Athletic.
Stephen Curry thrives on doubt — and this season, the Golden State Warriors star is embracing the skeptics once again. With offseason chatter downplaying the Warriors’ title hopes, Curry remains unfazed.
In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Curry shared how the doubt surrounding his team fuels his competitive fire for the upcoming season.
Via PEOPLE:
“I love the fact that people don’t think we can keep the pace with some of the other teams that they’re picking in the West,” he says. “And I just love that challenge of stepping into a training camp and being able to create your own success — that gets me going.”
“And obviously coming off of this Olympic experience, I’m trying to channel that energy all year.”
Although losing longtime teammate Klay Thompson is a blow, Curry is still determined to lead the Warriors to success. Fresh off an inspiring Olympic run, he’s channeling that momentum into the upcoming season, and his message to the rest of the league remains clear: count the Warriors out at your own risk.
For Curry, doubt is just another opportunity to prove why he’s one of the greatest.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Friday, September 6th:
Warriors News:
Steph Curry Talks Friendship with LeBron James After Winning Olympic Gold: ‘We Motivated Each Other’ (Exclusive) | PEOPLE
It was just as — if not more — thrilling for the Golden State Warriors star, who tells PEOPLE he was excited to put aside any former rivalry and team up with James.
“All the battles we’ve had on the court and the back and forth, the fact that we actually got to be teammates, not just in any game like an All-Star game or whatever, but in high stakes basketball with a lot on the line…I think there’s a deepened respect and friendship there,” Curry says while discussing his new investment and partnership with Nirvana Super Waters & Seltzers.
“Hopefully, there will be more experiences in the future, even if we’re teammates or not,” he adds, noting that the two basketball greats “still have to compete against each other until it’s all over” when they return to their respective NBA teams for a new season in October.
Ex-Warrior JTA always will prioritize giving fans ‘fun’ experience | NBC Sports Bay Area
Wednesday night was Toscano-Anderson’s first game back in Santa Cruz in four and half years, Feb. 5, 2020, to be exact, and he wasn’t going to let the hometown crowd down.
“I like to have fun, that’s why people come to basketball games,” Toscano-Anderson said after the win. “That’s why people come to sporting events, they want to see exciting plays. And as a spectator, if you got a fastbreak, show the fans something.
“That’s what they came to see.”
‘Japanese Steph Curry’ impresses in NBA debut for G League United | NBC Sports Bay Area
“It means a lot to me,” Tominaga said. “Obviously he’s my favorite player. I’m so happy to be in the family with the Curry Brand team. When I heard Steph agreed with the commitment to sign with Steph’s brand I was super happy about it, super excited.”
Tominaga’s first three Wednesday night was just the start to an impressive showing for the instant fan-favorite. Throughout the second quarter, Tominaga scored a total of nine points on 3-of-4 shooting, including a circus up-and-up reverse layup where the lefty finished with his right hand, and he made two of his three 3-point attempts.
Warriors Still ‘Want to Do Something Big’ as Season Approaches | Heavy
“From the talks they’ve had — or tried to have — it sounds like they want to do something big,” said one league source. “But they also don’t want to break things up too much. Moving Klay was big for them, but it wasn’t as big a trade as they probably wanted it to be. They want to add around Steph (Curry) and Draymond (Green), but they’re finding that’s hard to do.
“Steph is obviously still very good, but I don’t know. It is interesting. They’ve been trying to do stuff for quite a while — like last year at the trade deadline they were trying to get something going. I mean, they keep acting like they’re trying to make some major changes, but I just don’t know if they will.”
Jonathan Kuminga reveals a new look for the upcoming season
NBA News:
Brandon Ingram’s Pelicans future is as hazy as ever, and the clock is ticking | The Athletic
Our first indication came last week when Ingram did not attend a week-long voluntary minicamp held by Pelicans players in California, which featured every player on the roster except Ingram and recent signee Daniel Theis. (Zion Williamson left early for a series of Jordan Brand events in China, which the Pelicans and the rest of the players anticipated.) The Pelicans believed Ingram would be there, but he never showed, according to team sources.
This is an event Ingram has organized for his teammates several times in the past, so his absence stood out. The Pelicans hoped this minicamp would be the first time Williamson, Ingram, CJ McCollum and newly acquired point guard Dejounte Murray could all get on the court.
A recent post on Ingram’s Instagram page featured Houston-area pastor Keion Henderson speaking about the importance of “staying away from environments where people don’t know the true value of you.”
One roster hole the Lakers, Nuggets and other West teams must fix | ESPN
The Lakers’ struggles at this position can be traced to a single move: trading Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma for Westbrook in the summer of 2021.
Since moving on from Caldwell-Pope — and to a lesser extent, Danny Green in a 2020 deal for guard Dennis Schroder — Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has been chasing the perfect 3-and-D wing to play alongside James and Anthony Davis.
And after following their run to the conference finals in 2023 with a first-round exit in 2024, the Lakers enter another season with the same roster hole.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe discusses a potential disconnect between the Nuggets’ front office and head coach Michael Malone
In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:
Who will be the Warriors secondary scorer?
Here’s your dark horse candidate! TJD only averaged 7.9 points per game last year, so could he really lead the Warriors in non-Curry scoring?
Yep. Jackson-Davis’ 23.1 points per 100 possessions last year were fifth on the Warriors, behind Curry, Kuminga, and Thompson, and a hair behind Wiggins. And we can expect him to be a whole lot better at scoring this year, half because he’ll be in his second season, and half because the Warriors will have tailored their offense to take advantage of his pick-and-roll prowess now that they know what they have.
I don’t think TJD will be the team’s second-leading scorer, or even particularly close. But it’s easy to envision a world in which he becomes an offensive beast this year.