After dealing with injuries to several key players, the Golden State Warriors have been forced to rely on numerous young guys this season, including rookies.
Of course, second-round pick Eric Paschall has emerged as a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate after sitting second in total points scored among first-year players.
The Warriors have also played two-way rookie Ky Bowman quite a bit this season. Of the Warriors’ 28 games, Bowman has 26 appearances so far and is a huge reason why the team has the highest production from its two-way players.
Bowman has tallied 223 points this season, good for an average of 8.6 per game. In addition to Bowman, the Warriors also have Damion Lee signed to a two-way contract and the third-year guard has scored 150 points this season, or 10.7 per game.
The addition of two-way contract was designed to allow teams an opportunity to reward players they wish to develop with higher salaries and to also provide increased depth on the roster. The Warriors have certainly needed their two-way players.
While the Warriors have utilized their two-way players extensively this season, there have been a few other teams that have done the same but not nearly to the level of the Warriors. As Anthony Slater of The Athletic pointed out on Twitter, the Warriors are lapping the field in two-way scoring:
- Warriors: 373
- Rockets: 93
- Heat: 93
- Timberwolves: 46
- Wizards: 34
Players signed to two-way contracts are eligible to spend up to 45 days in the NBA so the Warriors will soon have to make a decision on the future of Bowman. Service days count when a player is on the active roster, practices and travels with the NBA club.
As a result, the Warriors are burning through Bowman’s service time and will have to either sign him to a standard NBA contract or send him to the G League once his time expires. On the other hand, Lee has only 14 appearances this season and has more time left on his 45-day clock.
In any case, the two players have been a brightspot in an otherwise down season as the Warriors currently hold the worst record in the league at 5-23.
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