The Warriors have lost a lot of players this offseason. Among them, the departure of Klay Thompson and the cutting of Chris Paul have greatly reduced the strength of the Warriors' guard line. Next, in order to prepare for the new season, the Warriors need to bring in some fresh blood and improve their backcourt strength to make up for the void left by Paul and Klay. Today, the Warriors announced the signing of small guard Yuri Collins on a training camp contract.
Yuri · Collins is only 23 years old and although he was not selected in the 2023 draft, he played for the Warriors in the subsequent Summer League and showed some playmaking skills. The Warriors offered him a training camp contract, where he will have the opportunity to fight for a place in the team's regular rotation through a strong performance. Last season, he averaged 6.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists and one steal per game for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the Development League, and shot nearly 40 percent from three-point range.
It is worth mentioning that Yuri Collins is only 1.83 meters tall, which is the same height as Paul. Perhaps the Warriors are hoping that he can make up for Paul's departure to some extent. However, although Paul is only 1.83 meters, his basketball IQ, organizational ability and defensive ability are historic, which can completely make up for the height disadvantage. If you expect a diminutive guard like Collins to play in the backcourt, the Warriors will probably be disappointed.
Although the Warriors' signing of Collins showed a focus on the backcourt, many fans and media didn't buy it, believing that the Warriors' management didn't really solve the problem. Fans generally questioned the practical significance of this signing, believing that the Warriors were "picking up the rags" and could not help the team withstand the pressure in the high-pressure environment of the playoffs. This is not so much filling the void in the backfield as it is a "temporary patch" that lacks long-term planning.
The Warriors' operations were compared to those of the Lakers. The Lakers have also tried several times in the past few seasons to fill the roster by signing some unknown players, but they are all leftovers, which has been questioned by fans. The Warriors' signing of Collins this time also made Warriors fans wonder if it was a "money-saving Taobao" operation like the Lakers. Some fans joked: "Warriors big stage, you can come if you are short enough!" "I hope the Warriors management won't really be perfunctory like the Lakers.
After all, there is not much energy in the tank in the Kuri and it can't withstand too much waste! Let's see if there is a follow-up for the Warriors before the start of the new season.