The Golden State Warriors haven’t led many categories in the 2019-20 NBA season; in fact, it’s almost the opposite of the past. The Warriors are on a season-high nine-game losing streak with a record that sits at the bottom of the Western Conference.
The Warriors’ down season has primarily come due to injuries, but within the wreckage, the door has opened for a bevy of young members on the Golden State roster.
The Warriors have had to dip deep into their rotation, leaning heavily on two-way contract players. Ky Bowman, Damion Lee and now Marquese Chriss have all received significant playing time.
Lee has been impressive enough for Golden State to convert his two-way contract into a multi-year deal with the full-time squad. To open a spot for Lee, the Warriors waived Chriss but quickly brought him back on a two-way agreement once Lee’s contract was converted.
Before accepting his full-time NBA deal, Lee led all two-way contract players in scoring with another member of Golden State, Bowman, right behind him. Miami Heat two-way guard Chris Silva followed the Warriors duo in scoring before also being converted to a full-time deal in Miami.
Now, with Chriss on a two-way deal, his numbers from earlier in the NBA season sit on top of two-way contract leaders, beating out Bowman as the leading scorer.
Chriss’s 272 points lead Bowman by one point with 271 on the season. The Warriors pairing of Chriss and Bowman lead all two-way contract players in not only total points but rebounds, assists, steals and minutes.
Bowman is averaging 7.5 points per game, 2.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game in 36 games played. The Boston College product has limited service time remaining on his contract before his two-way deal expires. However, the Warriors do have the option of sending him to the G League until they can offer him a full-time deal.
Recently, Golden State sent Bowman to their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz for a short stint in the G League, where he threw down a windmill slam dunk.
oh, my, goodness 😱 | #2WayPlayer | @KyranBowman @BCMBB | @warriors | @GLeagueWarriors pic.twitter.com/5zQTZJ1miV
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) January 14, 2020
With Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney all dealing with injuries that have taken them out for a significant part of the 2019-20 season, the Warriors will need to continue to rely on the service of their two-way contracted players. Chriss and Bowman’s statistical hold on the rest of the two-way contract talent in the NBA should continue to grow.