Warriors two-way guard Ky Bowman shines in G League Santa Cruz debut

Rookie Ky Bowman has impressed in every opportunity the Warriors have given him, but his two-way contract is expiring and Golden State sent him down to Santa Cruz, where he didn’t disappoint.

Almost out of nowhere, an undrafted rookie free agent, Ky Bowman, burst onto the scene for the 2019-20 Golden State Warriors. Injuries in the Warriors backcourt opened the door for an opportunity for Bowman, and he ran with it.

Bowman averaged 8.6 points, 2.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 22.9 minutes per game. While his averages may come across as low, his numbers don’t do his game justice. Bowman made a significant impact in Steve Kerr’s rotation when Stephen Curry, D’Angelo Russell, Jacob Evans and Damion Lee were all injured.

Bowman had a four-game stretch in November, where he averaged 15.8 points in 32 minutes per game. Bowman also played gritty defense when on the floor, locking up the opposing team’s best wing in each game.

Despite his stellar play, the Warriors decided to reassign him to their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. With Russell, Lee and Evans all returning to the lineup, the Warriors finally had some flexibility with how they used Bowman’s two-way contract.

Bowman can only spend 45 days with the Warriors, and 45 days in Santa Cruz on a two-way deal, but through 26-games, the Boston College product only registered time with the NBA club. To preserve his contract, the Warriors needed to send Bowman to spend time in the G League.

Bowman made his G League debut against the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario and didn’t disappoint. Bowman took over the game, scoring 27 points efficiently, shooting 62.5 percent from the field. Bowman almost registered a triple-double adding 10 assists and eight rebounds to his scoring total.

Bowman’s exceptional G League performance is further proof he belongs in an NBA rotation, but the Warriors will have a tough decision to make if they want it to be their rotation.

The Warriors can’t turn Bowman’s two-way contract into a guaranteed NBA contract with their current cap situation. The Warriors would have to cut or trade someone off their roster to make room for Bowman full time.

If the undrafted rookie continues to make noise in Santa Cruz, he could force the Warriors hand in what they decide with his two-way deal.