Summer League standout signs two-way with Warriors

Daeqwon Plowden showed out in Summer League and was rewarded with a two-way contract

Five summer games was enough to convince the Golden State Warriors that they didn’t want to lose Daeqwon Plowden.

Plowden has been a standout for the Warriors, who haven’t lost in five summer games across the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League. He’s averaged 16.6 points in his five contests, but what’s been most impressive is his work behind the three-point arc, where he’s made 13 of his 27 attempts.

Plowden fits into that nebulous category that is “three-and-D wing,” something every NBA team needs. He’s pretty big for a shooting guard, standing 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, and a 36.5-inch vertical leap. It’s the kind of frame the Warriors have looked for in the past decade, with Plowden showing the ability to disrupt other teams and get deflections. He’s not a true stopper, but he made the MAC’s All-Defensive team and only really struggles when facing extremely quick players.

He’s not going to dribble or handle the ball a lot for the Warriors, but he has shown the ability to make quick decisions when the ball gets passed to him. Plowden isn’t hesitant to put up threes when he’s open, and he’s been very effective on fast breaks. Plowden’s

He also plays physically, which is probably accentuated by being an older Summer League player. Plowden can bock shots from the weak side and got nearly a steal per game for the G League affiliate of the Orlando Magic last season.

Basically, the Warriors have secured a player who probably won’t hurt them if pressed into action next season. They’re not expecting big-time scoring, even though his summer has been encouraging in that respect. But the team needs an athletic player who will shoot threes when he’s open while holding his own on defense. That’s Plowden.

For now, the Warriors’ two-way deals belong to Plowden, Virginia point guard Reece Beekman, and converted lacrosse superstar Pat Spencer, whose brother Cam just signed his own two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies. That’s always subject to change, like when the Warriors waived two-way players Quinndary Weatherspoon and Lester Quinones before the 2022-23 season in favor of Ty Jerome and Anthony Lamb.

It’s not an exciting signing — the Warriors would be thrilled if Plowden could become as good as Juan Toscano-Anderson, for example. But it’s a savvy pickup that also should help the team when recruiting players on the margins in the future. Golden State has converted seven players’ two-way contracts into standard NBA contracts since 2018, the most recent being Quinones. That opportunity for advancement should help in recruiting undrafted college players and recruiting Summer Leaguers in the future.

He’s also poised to be the first player named “Daeqwon” in NBA history. This puts him in elite Warriors company for unique name debuts, joining Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, Festus Ezeli, Ognjen Kuzmić, and Alen Smailagic in breaking new ground for first names while in a Warriors jersey (Quinndary Weatherspoon started with the San Antonio Spurs).

“Mr. Plow” is now a Warrior. If nothing else, the fans in Santa Cruz are going to love him.