Warriors' Steve Kerr drops stunning Lindy Waters III 'best players' revelation

10/30/2024 11:28 AM

Without Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, and De’Anthony Melton on Tuesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, it seemed like the Golden State Warriors were lining themselves up for a loss. However, Steve Kerr’s group has always been resilient when it comes to injured players through the years, as the Warriors have always held the mantra of “Strength in Numbers.” Well, that was the case against the Pelicans, as the Warriors were able to rattle off a 124-106 victory due to various players stepping up, including Lindy Waters III.

This past offseason saw Golden State make plenty of moves. Chris Paul and Klay Thompson departed in free agency, and the key additions for the Warriors included Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson, and Melton. Waters, a player who flew under the radar as an offseason addition, came to the team by way of trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 52nd pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

While he had shown flashes of his three-point shooting potential in Oklahoma City, Waters was nothing more than an afterthought when he arrived in The Bay… or so that is what the Warriors wanted everyone to think! Waters stepped up in a huge way on Tuesday night with 21 points, eight rebounds, and four assists off the bench, proving that he can be a steady contributor for what is suddenly a very deep-looking Warriors squad.

Despite being one of the unlikeliest of heroes for the Warriors, seeing this type of performance from Waters was not a surprise whatsoever for Kerr. In fact, Golden State’s head coach has gone so far as to claim that Waters established himself as one of the team’s better players in training camp.

“I said since day one of camp — ‘This guy is a ball player,'” Kerr said of Waters in his postgame remarks, via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “Game flows when he is out there. It’s not just because he’s a good shooter; he is a good basketball player. It’s the shots that he doesn’t take because of his patience. It’s the cuts that he makes to the basket. Getting into the fight defensively.

“From day one, this guy has been one of our best players, frankly. But couldn’t get him out there until tonight, and he’s gonna make his case for more playing time.”

Lindy Waters III impact on Warriors

Waters is not going to be the difference in the Warriors possibly regaining their championship contender status in the Western Conference. However, he can 100 percent be an impact player for this organization and help them regain their former glory.

Having depth is a virtue in the NBA. Not many teams can say that they are confident playing 10, 11, sometimes even 12 guys. The Warriors are comfortable with every single player on their team, and Waters’ recent success proves that any player on this team’s bench is capable of stepping up when their number is called.

You never know where production will come from in the NBA, and on Tuesday night, the Warriors found production in a player they traded a late-second-round pick for. Regardless of the fact that nobody really knows about him, Waters simply does his job and stays ready for his team.

“Just always stay ready is my mentality,” Waters told reporters after the game. “I got a strap on me. I just wake up and I can shoot it no matter if I’m playing or not.”

First, it was Jordan Poole who stepped up as one of the unlikeliest heroes for the Warriors in previous years. Then it was Gary Payton II. Now it is Lindy Waters III’s turn to be a spark of energy for this organization, no matter how many minutes he sees every night.

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