Hoops Habit
Fansided

Golden State Warriors: Setting Expectations For Xavier Henry

By Gerald Bourguet

November 16, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Xavier Henry (7) moves to the basket against the defense of Golden State Warriors forward Marreese Speights (5) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
November 16, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Xavier Henry (7) moves to the basket against the defense of Golden State Warriors forward Marreese Speights (5) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

As the team announced Monday, the Golden State Warriors have signed swingman Xavier Henry and free agent forward Chris Udofia to training camp deals, putting the current roster at 19.

Terms of the deals were not disclosed, but as you can see from the crowded roster that will need to be chopped down to 15 before the start of the regular season, Henry and Udofia won’t be making the final cut in just a few days.

According to Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group, the Dubs signed Henry and Udofia in order to have them prove themselves with their D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors:

Bearing that in mind, Xavier Henry’s road back to relevance looks to be a long one, so nobody should be expecting much from him in 2015-16.

As the 12th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Henry bounced around the league for his first three seasons, failing to stick with the Memphis Grizzlies or the New Orleans Pelicans. But during the 2013-14 season, Henry averaged 10.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 21.1 minutes per game — all career-bests — for the talent-depleted Los Angeles Lakers.

He only shot 41.7 percent from the floor and 34.6 percent from three-point range, but Henry was viewed as one of the few bright spots in a 27-win season, especially for the signature play of his career — a monster dunk over Jeff Withey:

Unfortunately, Henry was unable to build upon his breakout season in 2014-15, tearing his ACL nine games into the campaign. The Lakers waived him about a month later while he was rehabbing. Now it appears that Henry will get his chance to prove his worth to the defending champs while coming off a scary injury.

With only two games left in the Dubs’ preseason schedule, Henry has zero time to prove his value, but in an extended D-League stint, he’ll have the chance to shine against (sort of) NBA competition. If he can put up eye-popping numbers and remove any lingering doubts that this Achilles injury has derailed his career, perhaps down the road this 24-year-old will get the call-up.

As for Udofia, it seems unlikely he’ll be earning his shot with the defending champs anytime soon. With Chris Babb, Ian Clark and Jarell Eddie fighting for the 15th and final roster spot, Udofia will be joining Henry in Santa Cruz, but unlike the former Lakers swingman, this 6’6″ forward has a lot more to prove.

Udofia, who played in Israel last season with Elitzur Yavne, averaged 10.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game last season. He’s seen as a more defensively inclined signing to bolster the wing position and he’s the all-time leader in blocks at the University of Denver.

The Golden State Warriors are far too deep at this point in time, and Henry and Udofia are heading straight to the D-League anyway, but it might be worth keeping an eye on Henry as the year progresses. If he can bring some energy, athleticism and a little bit of scoring the same way he did in Los Angeles, he might be able to crack the defending champs’ roster down the road.

Next: NBA: Top 10 MVP Candidates In 2015-16

More from Hoops Habit

Home/Golden State Warriors