The Golden State Warriors have signed NBA Summer League standout Daeqwon Plowden to a two-way deal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Plowden, who went undrafted in 2022, got a ringing endorsement from the Warriors’ Summer League coach Anthony Vereen after his 19-point explosion in their 90-73 rout of the Phoenix Suns on July 13.
“He’s [Plowden] shown that he should be in the NBA,” Vereen told reporters. “I just hugged [Santa Cruz Warriors general manager] Ryan Atkinson for the roster I have. These guys are really showing they’re right on the cusp of where they want to be. The way he plays so hard, aggressively on both ends. He doesn’t take a play off, it’s a pleasure as a coach to watch him put himself in a better position.”
Plowden shot an efficient 8 of 12 from the field, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc, extending his torrid scoring stretch from the California Classic, where he averaged 17 points per game for the undefeated Warriors.
Two days later, Plowden scored 14 points in the Warriors’ 92-82 win over the Chicago Bulls.
‘I Eat Within the Flow of Everything’
Vereen was particularly impressed with Plowden’s constant movement, a skill that will thrive in the Warriors system under Steve Kerr.
“Within the flow of the game, if you’re going to be a role player at the next level, they’re not going to run plays for you,” Vereen said. “To have a guy be so efficient and effective without a play being called for him, to do the dirty things and the small things, he’s showing that he can play a role in the NBA.”
Plowden was cutting and moving without the ball right from the start.
“I feel like the way I eat is within the flow of everything, and tonight we [we’re] just flowing,” Plowden told reporters.
Warriors GM Impressed With Daeqwon Plowden
Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. was at courtside when the 6-foot-6 Plowden caught fire against the Suns.
“He’s really been impressive,” Dunleavy said of Plowden when he graced the broadcast booth with Mark Jones and Doris Burke. “He’s a guy we like. He just picks up on things quickly and obviously, he shoots the ball well here.”
Before Plowden plowed through the NBA Summer League on his way to the much-deserved contract, all he was thinking was playing freely.
“I try not to think about it too much, I feel like if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen,” Plowden told reporters. “It’s going to happen from me going out there and showcasing what I can do within the organization, and how the organization is ran. I feel like me thinking about that is going to put a lot more pressure on me, and right now I’m just out there playing free.”
And it happened.
Plowden joined Reece Beekman and Pat Spencer as the Warriors’ two-way players.
While they are expected to spend most of the season with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League, they are all eligible to be rostered in 50 regular-season games.
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