Golden State Warriors: The Return Of Festus Ezeli
It took him 17 months, but backup center Festus Ezeli has finally played in an NBA game again. That’s a long time for anticipation to build up, but Ezeli almost completely delivered on the hype in a preseason victory over the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday night, more than satisfying the fans who have been salivating over his potential all this time.
Even with Andrew Bogut taking the night off, head coach Steve Kerr opted to start Ognjen Kuzmic at center. But when Ezeli checked in near the end of the first quarter to hearty cheers from the Oracle Arena crowd, it felt like a triumphant moment for the injury-prone center who’s been trying to battle his way back to the court for more than a year.
Right from the start, it was apparent why we’ve been talking about a guy who can’t stay healthy for so long. About a minute after checking into the game, Ezeli reminded the fans about his rim-protecting potential and brought them back to their feet with a monster block on Jared Cunningham.
On his first touch on the other end of the floor, Ezeli hit a turnaround jumper in the post against Ekpe Udoh. And for the last possession of the first quarter, Andre Iguodala found Ezeli streaking toward the basket for an emphatic alley-oop.
These are just preseason plays, and they should be taken with a major grain of salt. But watching Ezeli do things like that after struggling to stay healthy was a big moment, one that wasn’t lost on Ezeli, Iggy or the fans cheering their backup center on.
By the end of the first half, Ezeli had six points on 2-of-2 shooting to go with one block in six minutes of action. He finished with 10 points, three rebounds, one block in 11 minutes. He shot 4-for-5 from the floor for the game, but he also recorded five fouls, something he’ll have to keep in check if anything happens to Bogut.
Again, another major preseason grain of salt here, but Ezeli looked like another very productive cog in a promising second unit for the Golden State Warriors. Kuzmic was productive in his 27 minutes as a starter, recording eight points, 10 boards and one block, but the eye test did not lie — Ezeli has a major athletic advantage, he was moving well, he was aggressive on both ends of the floor and provided he can stay healthy and prove himself in what’s left of preseason, he should earn the backup center spot.
Iguodala coming off the bench gives the reserves another playmaker. Leandro Barbosa is still dangerously quick with the ball in his hand. Draymond Green is starting to look like a consistent contributor on offense. And that’s before we remember what Shaun Livingston and Brandon Rush bring to the table when fully healthy. Throw Festus Ezeli in there and it’s starting to look like Golden State’s bench will be one of the best in the league.
After all the injury struggles of the past year, last night’s seemingly meaningless preseason game became more than that. For Ezeli and the Warriors, it was a nice reminder of all the potential he brings to the table when he can just stay healthy.