Warriors guard Jessup shines in NBL
When Justinian Jessup canned a 3-pointer from the left wing in the third quarter of his 26-point effort Thursday, he held the shooting form of his outstretched left arm and soaked in the moment as he was well on his way to scoring a career high.
Jessup, the 22-year-old, 6-foot-7 shooter who the Warriors selected with the 51st pick in November’s draft, is playing this season overseas in the NBL. His scoring outburst didn’t lead to a victory of his Illawarra
Hawks, but it did garner attention stateside, and from former Warriors center Andrew Bogut.
“Hey Warriors fans! Justinian Jessup is COOKING right now,” Bogut said in a tweet. An hour later, Bogut typed, “He can SHOOT it.”
Even as Jessup impresses fans and inspires tweets by averaging 15.6 points on 54.3% shooting from 3-point range, sources say the Warriors have no plans to bring him over stateside this season.
But as he proved in Thursday’s performance, Jessup can do much more than just shoot it. As he tallied 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting (including 4-for-7 from 3-point range), seven rebounds and two assists in 38 minutes, he drove for a left-handed layup, ran the floor for a one-handed dunk and used a spin move to get to a mid-range pullup jumper.
The Warriors, of course, know this. Head coach Steve Kerr and general manager Bob Myers are kept up to date on Jessup’s development, receiving daily briefs and tuning into recordings of his games when time allows.
The fact is Jessup has long been on the Warriors’ radar. Jessup played four years at Boise State, where he was a 40% 3-point shooter and was among the players Golden State had targeted for their secondround pick.
However, the Warriors faced a numbers crunch on the 15-man roster with three total draft picks, 13 players already under contract and plans to sign free agents.
So by the draft on Nov. 18, the Warriors had surveyed several players who could be in range for their second-round pick to see who would be willing to play overseas for a season, where they could maintain his rights without using a valuable roster spot.
Jessup, who signed with Illawarra in August, agreed to spend a year in the NBL, where he could develop with ample playing time.
The Warriors could add him to the roster next season. Klay Thompson is expected to return from an Achilles tear, but the Warriors will need to identify his backup as guards Kelly Oubre Jr., Kent Bazemore, Brad Wanamaker, Damion Lee and Mychal Mulder will all hit free agency.
Chances are Golden State will bring back at least a few of them, but Jessup could very well be in the mix next season. For now, Warriors fans will have to enjoy the highlights.