Easy for hoopers to root for Kendric Davis, who shunned Ja Morant, Desmond Bane & the Grizzlies for the Warriors

[+notes/quotes/video from Summer League Media Day]

One of the angles that we here at Let’s Go Warriors like to shed light on is the love of basketball, obviously especially at the pro level, but at all levels, and rooting for guys to succeed. The behind-the-scenes network of this great game is throughout and, as a guy who used to run men’s recreational basketball leagues, I can tell you that embracing the ecosystem and supporting trainers, AAU coaches and programs.

As a small, isolated example, I used to coach a 19-year-old kid for one of my amateur Asian-American teams and, years later, he now trains a member of Jonathan Kuminga’s family and has trained JK himself. Is my guy a full-time trainer for JK yet? No. Will he ever be? Maybe, maybe not. But there have already been some anecdotes and they’ll likely be more as we go. This trainer is only in the first inning and he’ll continue to overlap into the NBA ecosphere.

So it’s this facet of the game that I yearn to reveal to fans, rather than the diametric opposite which is to sit back in that armchair and be outraged at everything and everybody in the NBA. There’s another level of NBA information to be consumed and it makes life better. But I could go on for days about this and it takes a certain amount of trust to buy into that and what Let’s Go Warriors is all about. It does start with positivity.

Last Thursday at the Golden State Warriors’ Summer League Media Day, we learned about the connections between someone you’ve probably not heard of: Kendric Davis. He’s a Summer League roster spot at the point guard, only 6’0”, but led the Memphis Tigers in scoring last season under renowned head coach Penny Hardaway. Along that path, he became super-close friends with Desmond Bane and Ja Morant.

The transcript of that interview and fellow University of Memphis alum Lester Quinones is below. There were others that spoke on the podium, too, but I’ll cover them another day. I’m too excited about Kendric not to report him first!

So, based simply on this one interview, without watching any highlights on YouTube (and I don’t watch the NBA), I now know that Davis must be a speedy combo guard and probably fits the up-and-down style of the Warriors.

Further, I’m now looking forward to seeing how he plays more than anyone else does tonight, and that includes Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis. This is because Kendric is a completely unknown quantity to me and, I’ve learned, some of the most exciting things about life are the unknowns.

You can then make the extrapolation that, him having the notoriety in the Memphis area from Morant and Bane and Hardaway, he would surely make an intriguing possibly two-way player or just merely being on the Santa Cruz Warriors G League squad. We know at the very least that Davis is super-excited to learn from Stephen Curry, then when Chris Paul was reported to become a Warrior, that sealed his fate in stone. In fact, Davis said (see below) that he made a “business decision for me and my son.”

I don’t know, when family gets involved, I tend to root for guys like that. I tend to try and make our YouTube audience on the Let’s Go Warriors channel a family. If you’re all about positivity and don’t spend all your days drowning in the negativity of Twitter, come join us sometime. You’ll be warmly welcomed into our ongoing LGW family there.

So I’ll be on the livestream again real soon tonight (within one hour of this posting — sorry, I’ve been really busy with life issues so the content pipeline has only been trickling since the season ended), and I can’t wait to watch Kendric Davis!

CJ Holmes 0:00

What's it like going out there with Jacob Rubin running the show?

Lester Quinones 0:04

It's great to kind of be back in the practice atmosphere, but kind of seeing Rube as the head coach, me and him kind of had a relationship before this, so I'm excited to see how this is gonna go. We have a great group of players and I have 100% faith in Rubin as a coach. He's a great coach. He understands the game at a different level. And just like myself, he's a competitor. So I feel like practices every day are going to kind of be competitive, and we're gonna get after every single day.

Dalton Johnson 0:33

Seeing you putting in the work, social media-wise, what's the biggest part of your game this last month or two that you've really been trying to focus on?

Lester Quinones 0:41

I would say consistency and being more efficient. I'm kind of taking that bigger role this year being one of the guys to really lead the team this year. I would say I will have to start off being efficient and being better with my reads and kind of knowing less turnovers, knowing what happens on the floor, knowing our plays, knowing every single position of it so I can help those other guys who don't know it and those other guys who kind of aren't as familiar with actions as me so kind of locking in on the mental part of the game, kind of just studying the game more and just being on point with every little read and every little tendency that I have.

CJ Holmes 1:17

Are you angling to be more of a point guard at the NBA level right now?

Lester Quinones 1:21

I can say it's just helping me with my versatility. Being able to play more than one position, obviously for anyone, is going to help you grow as a player but my last year of high school I did play point guard. I played point guard for Penny (Hardaway) one year in college, I think it was my sophomore year but I feel like I'm pretty comfortable at the one position, kind of handling the ball and being kind of a bigger guard at my size. It kind of helps me see, like I said earlier, the reads and the defense more so I for sure have been working on my ball-handling and kind of like I said earlier the reads to where it's like it just becomes second nature to me.

CJ Holmes 1:53

I know Seth (Cooper) had you doing a lot of that stuff towards the end of the season last year in Santa Cruz, right?

Lester Quinones 1:57

Yeah, at the end of the season. I was a lot on-ball and like I said, just really learning those reads to where me being a bigger guard not just on offense, but defensively, kind of picking up those smaller guards and being able to guard point guards and 1s full court and stuff like that.

CJ Holmes 2:12

So you know, we were all told today that you were extended a qualifying offer by the Warriors and although there's still more work to be done to secure a roster spot, what does that mean to see that the team has some faith in you at some level?

Lester Quinones 2:26

Obviously, it's showing their faith in me and they trust in me but like you said, it doesn't stop here. I just gotta get in the gym more and like you said, just to solidify my spot on the roster, I would say so. Getting the extra work in, watching more film, doing all the other little things to where I could get to a point where Steve (Kerr) could trust me out there on the court and he could trust putting me on and know that there wouldn't be anything mentally that could -- just show that he can trust me. So like I said, just growing my mental part of the game. I feel like that's just the next step for me because I feel like everything else will kind of just fall into itself with the work.

Kendra Andrews 3:00

So for you one of the goals this summer was trying to fill in some of the gaps that the Golden State Warriors were missing last season. You're the only guy who really spent time with the organization last season in G League and up here in San Francisco. What are some of those areas to you that need to be filled in and where do you see yourself adding to those?

Lester Quinones 3:23

I would say scoring off the bench. I feel like with myself kind of being more of a scorer. I feel like that being my primary strength is scoring the basketball. We for sure are gonna need more scoring off the bench, but also going down on the other end, I feel like defensively, that's where I can work on better. Not towards as much as I'm gonna make it my strength but more so build on to where I could be a two-way player to where guys aren't just knowing that I'm on the court for offense, they can know that I'm on the court for offense and coming down on defense and kind of playing the ball both ways. So I feel like defensively that'll probably be my niche to start off. And like I said it's all about just building my trust with Coach Kerr. So I feel like kind of just sitting down maybe with the staff and with them and really just asking them straight up kind of what they want me to work on and what do they see? Or where do they see me being on the floor and kind of helping this team out. And I feel like I'm the type of player to where once I sit down and understand where and what they want me to do, I could kind of just go 1,000% into that and kind of just be 100% invested into doing what the team needs me to do.

Erin Wilson 4:26

Two for you. Earlier this season when I spoke to you and I asked you about your award (Most Improved Player), you were like I'm happy but I'm not there yet, something like you just said. But to get the news, obviously you're scratching some things off the list. How does that feel to get the news that at least you've accomplished that much?

Lester Quinones 4:44

Obviously, it does feel surreal once you kind of sit back and really look at it, like it didn't hit me winning that award and being First Team All-Rookie, probably until maybe three or four weeks ago where it's like, I was kind of just sitting there and watching myself, watching some of my highlights and watching and I was like man like I was just so locked-in in the moment, to where I didn't realize what I was actually doing, to where I did broke records down there. I kind of really solidified myself down there as one of the best guys there. So I'm just really sitting back and enjoying it. I feel like that's something to where I can't get too comfortable with it to where like I had it, I did it, I saw what I did. But like you said earlier in the question, it's way more work to do and way bigger things that I want to accomplish that are definitely going to come next but of course it was amazing for me to get those awards.

Erin Wilson 5:32

And to segue into the second question you've been revered as somewhat of a fit today by a few of the players, a few fielded the questions and then Kendric (Davis) actually spoke about you guys's relationship at Memphis, being able to kind of be that leader on the floor. How does that help you feel comfortable going into summer league and what is it that it gives you to help those other players pull them along?

Lester Quinones 5:57

Kind of going into what I said earlier, it definitely makes my job harder, kind of being a leader for those guys. So not getting comfortable, like I said, to where it's like, okay, I'm a vet now. I know everything. Everybody kind of listens to me. It's more so me doing the same exact things that those guys have to do, but making sure I'm doing it right every single time to where if it's a certain read or something that Rubin is trying to teach, I need to be one of those guys to where it's like he could just throw me out there and use me as an example. And it's like guys could just pick it up like that because some guys are visual learners more than just telling them to do something. So just kind of being the type of dude to where it's like simple things like if we're sprinting, trying to come in first in every sprint. If we're doing shooting, trying to win every drill. Kind of just setting the tone to where I'm a competitor. So I try to win everything as it is, but I feel like it's easier for guys as kind of like the inner part of the team. If you see your leader kind of doing everything right and him never doing none of the shortcuts or cutting it short, it kind of pushes you and makes it easier for you to be like, okay, if my leader is doing this, I can obviously do it, if he could do it. You know what I mean?

Madeline Kenney 7:06

Obviously, you kind of built a relationship with Patrick Baldwin, Jr. and Ryan Rollins down in Santa Cruz and maybe even Jordan Poole when you were up here. Just what was your reaction to that trade last week and Chris Paul coming in?

Lester Quinones 7:19

Actually I would say I'm the closest to Jordan on the team, from my perspective. It's great opportunity for him. It's a great opportunity for PBJ and Ryan, but like you said, being down in Santa Cruz with PBJ and Ryan so much, I feel like we were just starting to kind of favor each other's games and kind of know our strengths to where it was like if us three were on the court at the same time. I knew what PBJ wanted, where he wanted the ball on the floor. I knew what Ryan wanted to do to kind of get downhill and attack certain things. So obviously when it happened, I was like, man, I'm gonna have to kind of learn to play with new guys. At least I have Gui still with me. We're kind of comfortable with our games, but yeah, getting comfortable with Ryan and PBJ, all three of our games kind of just translated and just connected with each other to where like I was getting so comfortable with them in practice or kind of scrimmaging and stuff like that. So best of luck to them. They're in a great opportunity, but it kind of did, it did hurt a little bit, but I feel like I'm the team we have now, the players we have now, we have a huge opportunity. So I'm really excited for it.

Madeline Kenney 8:24

I know Jordan's traveling right now, but have you gotten a chance to exchange texts with him after the news?

Lester Quinones 8:29

Oh, yeah, for sure. I called him right when I saw it happened. He's still out there now, but like I said, a huge opportunity for him. He kind of gets to go over there in Washington and really be a leader out there. It's kind of his team. He has a huge opportunity for himself. I'm excited for him. I feel like he's definitely going to perform down there and nothing but love and the best of luck to him but I'm actually excited to kind of see how he hoops down there and having his own team and being a leader. It's gonna go really good for him down there.

Madeline Kenney 9:06

Following up on what CJ was asking about, being more of a point guard, being more of a play-maker, is that a strength that you have that you wanted to evolve or is that something they've come and talked to you about doing more. Is that more of a focus for you this year?

Lester Quinones 9:19

Nah, going back to what I said earlier, my last year of high school, I was the point guard and I did play a little bit of point guard in college. So I'm very comfortable with the ball in my hands, kind of being that primary play-maker and just really making reads. My strength is kinda just making the right reads. It's kind of just second nature to me. If I had the ball in my hands or if I had to get a certain guy a shot, or if I'm coming off the pick-and-roll and have to make a certain read, it's all just natural to me to where I'm coming off, making sure f I hit the right read, to hit it every single time versus if I come off and make the wrong read, I gotta know what the right read was. So I feel like that kind of comes naturally to me. But Seth making me the primary ball handler, and it did have to do a lot with Ryan kind of going down and being injured. And we also had a couple of injuries in Santa Cruz with the point guard. So with those guys going down and pushing me to the one, I feel like it definitely opened up a different part of my game that I would say I knew I always had but I feel like everybody else kind of didn't know I had. So yeah, just really showing everybody that I really have way more to what I've shown down there and like I said, kinda just making sure I get and be a student of the game versus kind of coming off and freestyling it. If I watch the film, if I do the work, if I do everything precise, it's just gonna become second nature when I'm out there just hooping.

Dalton Johnson 10:43

Just kind of going from last year going undrafted and obviously doing so well in the G League, in the two-way contract, you've seen the Jordan trade. What's the biggest lesson you've learned business-wise of the NBA in this last pretty wild year for you?

Lester Quinones 10:58

It's 100% what are you doing for me now type of business? So obviously injuries and other things, the way people play inconsistently, all of that goes into it and I feel like, yeah, that's just the main thing I could say it's a, 'What are you doing for me now' business so when your name is hot and when you have the hype, everybody's gonna ride your train, but then the lows that come there, that's just tough to kind of overcome those and then that's when that hits people.

CJ Holmes 11:24

Sources tell us that you caught a body in practice today. Can you confirm that?

Lester Quinones 11:29

Yeah, it was actually back to back plays.

Jerry Jiang 11:48

Can you talk about your friendship with Kendric (Davis) and what it means for you guys to be sharing the same court?

Lester Quinones 11:57

It's huge. Him kind of being down there Memphis, I talk to him all the time down there. It's just great to kind of be here with him and for us to kind of on the defensive end have that same niche that Penny taught us defensively. To where it's kind of like more fast-paced, kind of guards getting into each other, everybody kind of pressuring the ball. So I feel like defensively we'll be more intact to that. But offensively he's an amazing player. He does all this stuff to where like, the ref won't see it. You know what I mean? So he does the little the reach up with the arm when he has it defensively. He knows the little -- you know what I mean? Stuff like that. So it's probably stuff that he could teach me as much as I can teach him so I feel like it's gonna be a great relationship for me, kind of playing with him and being with him now, versus just being over the phone talking to him about hoops.

Parth Upadhyaya 12:50

(On Kendric Davis not being drafted...) was that conversation like what was your pitch to him?

Lester Quinones 13:13

Just being in that same situation as him. I was in the same boat as him last year in the draft, kind of not seeing your name called, waiting for that call, post-draft. It was tough. It goes back to what I said earlier, one of those down moments where you feel like you're at your lowest, and I felt like I was kind of there to kind of just talk to him and let him know the process since I've been through it already. And let him know how it's gonna go. So like we said earlier, kind of being like that vet for him since I've been through it, but kind of just teaching him to really keep his head and just trust the process, for real. Like I said earlier, he's an amazing player. He's a great player. And he's also one of those dudes like myself, he kind of just loves the gym, he stays in the gym. He's always working. So I feel like for those guys, the work is always going to show and it's going to show up eventually. So kind of just tell him to keep his head and really go through it. And it's going to be exciting for me and him kind of just being on the same floor and really learn how to play with each other and just mold together and our relationship off the court will definitely transfer onto the court and help us win games.

Madeline Kenney 14:21

(Inaudible question about James Wiseman.)

Lester Quinones 14:25

Yeah, definitely. Yeah, for sure. It was tough. I think James only played maybe three games in Santa Cruz, four games? And those were definitely -- those were amazing games to kind of be on the same floor with him again. Like I said, it was similar with him. Being at Memphis, it was different than Kendric because James was actually my teammate and my roommate, so I was actually closer to him. And just to kind of see James's process and just to see everything that he went through and built up and kind of fought through. That was just the amazing part of me, kind of being close to him and being on those calls with him. And just always talking with him. Even to this day, I texted him probably yesterday, but just staying close with guys like that. And I feel like the basketball world is very, very small. So kind of just really connecting with all those guys that you kind of were in the same path with, I feel like that's important.

CJ Holmes 15:15

When's the last time you checked in with James?

Lester Quinones 15:17

Probably yesterday. Yeah, yesterday.

CJ Holmes 15:21

More specifically, how's he doing?

Lester Quinones 15:23

If it wasn't yesterday, it was the day before. But nah, he's doing great. Like I said, he's in the gym. He's grinding down there. He's in a pretty great headspace out there. But like I said, he's grinding. He's getting his work in and I'm very excited to see what he's gonna do this season because he's locked in.

CJ Holmes 15:45

(inaudible) Shown to the Warriors that it fits their system and fits our culture?

Kendric Davis 15:51

I play with pace. In this system, you gotta be able to play fast, but you got to be able to think too. So, just showing them I can play fast, be able to get Steph, Klay open shots and also be able to get my own shot too, and be able to defend at a high level so really just showing the pace that I play at.

Madeline Kenney 16:18

Since you went to Memphis, was there overlap with Lester and how well do you know him, what's your relationship?

Kendric Davis 16:24

Yeah, he got me to come to Memphis, he was on my visit. I got a chance to compete against them a couple of years when I was at SMU. I just knew I wanted to be there but me and Les know each other real well. That day of the draft, when I didn't get drafted, he called me, like, man, come over here. You're gonna love it. So I'm just glad to be reunited with him.

Madeline Kenney 16:51

What's that like to have know him, he's already gone through this whole process, he knows what to kind of expect but somebody like you coming into it as a rookie kind of having that security or somebody that you can lean on when you have questions?

Kendric Davis 17:04

He's just been real helpful since I got here. We're Memphis alum, so we look out for each other. Coach Penny, that's what we're know for, looking out for each other. So on the court, off the court he checks on me, makes sure I'm good. We're just brothers. It's what we do.

Erin Wilson 17:25

Erin Wilson with KRON-4. I've covered you a little bit, adversity is nothing new to you. This journey to this point has been tough. But you're here, so how does it feel to 1) get done with your first practice for summer league but then (also) to be here, as you mentioned, undrafted, but still able to play along someone like Lester?

Kendric Davis 17:45

Yeah, it feels good, man, just getting over that mental hurdle. I had three or four teams say they were gonna draft me and it didn't happen and then now I'm here. It takes a little minute to get over that. Once you get over that I got text from Ja (Morant), Des (Desmond Bane). They're my biggest supporters, so they were just like, 'Go prove to the world what we know.' So I mean, that's just a chip.

Kendra Andrews 18:10

Kendra Andrews with ESPN. When you said Lester called you up and said you should come out here for summer league, you would like it. What did he say about the organization, about why he thought you would like it and be successful out here?

Kendric Davis 18:25

When I worked out for him, he called me and just told me how much the organization liked me and liked what I bring, and I killed the workout and they tried to bring me back in for another one. But my schedule couldn't align. So once I didn't get drafted, he called me, like, 'Man, I'm telling you, like it's a first-class organization. And what you do is what they do, you know, push pace, tempo, can shoot the hell out of the ball and you compete at a high level and you're a winner and everybody knows what the Warriors -- they're known for winning. So, it's just a match made in heaven and hopefully I'll make a mark in the league, but to get to learn behind Steph and Chris Paul, can't too many people say that.

Kendra Andrews 19:07

You mentioned Ja and Des. To have a relationship with a guy like Lester is one thing, but to have someone who has been able to climb up and make a name for himself in this league, like a Ja Morant, what is that like to have that level of a support system and those people having your back and encouraging you?

Kendric Davis 19:27

Yeah, I was so close to sign in with Memphis and when I didn't sign I was nervous to text Ja and Des and tell him, like, I didn't. But when they got the news I was here, first thing they did was text me, 'I love you. I just know you're gonna be in this league a long time and it just meant a lot to me because at first I was nervous. I didn't know what they was gonna say. Just because they wanted me that have it so bad. And, man, it's huge having a guy like Ja and Des. And just like they're on me, I'm on them. Me and Des have been best friends for about ten years. Me and Ja, we got (to be) best friends throughout the Memphis season. And when he had his little mental lapse, I was on him hard. I told him, you gotta grow. You've got to become a man. Same thing with me. He told me, this was gonna make you a man. And I'm just blessed for him.

Dalton Johnson 20:27

Do you have any motivation as far as looking up some players who have been undrafted but really made a name for themselves? Just recently, we had the NBA finals with Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, and so forth, to kind of give you guys some extra motivation who are undrafted?

Kendric Davis 20:40

Yeah, Gary Payton. It's a lot of them. Fred VanVleet. Gabe Vincent. The league has just started to become, 'Either you can play or you can't.' You've seen that throughout the playoffs. You've just got to be able to play basketball. Even here. Klay wasn't just -- he was drafted but didn't nobody think Klay would be able to have this career, Steph was little, ain't athletic. I just look at all the guys that's not athletic: Kyle Lowry, Jose Alvarado, Dennis Schroder, just a bunch of them. I just know I believe in my work and I think I'll be here for a long time.

Madeline Kenney 21:29

You said your relationship with Desmond Bane goes back ten years and then Ja has been relatively recently. How did you meet? Obviously Memphis is a connection. But where did those relationships begin and how did that friendship blossom with both of them?

Kendric Davis 21:41

I met Des my sophomore year in high school when I committed to TCU. He was there. And then I got a chance to play with him my freshman year and that was my roommate on the road. And we got a lot of memories through that. And we just love playing with each other. We were in the gym playing one-on-one all the time. Like, two or three in the morning, we were playing one-on-one. In college, when I transferred, he was hurt. And then when I had the career I had, we ended up reunited, but we stayed in touch all day, every day. Ja, with the season I was having, he would call me over to his house, we would play ones and we just got real close, too, and he just liked what I was about. You know, I'm all about grinding and the right things. So we we've been buds since then.

Jerry Jiang 22:57

Jerry with the Commercial Appeal. What went through your mind when you got that call that you're gonna play for the Warriors Summer League team?

Kendric Davis 23:07

I was ecstatic. Me and my agent were happy about it. First-class organization and they don't just go after anybody. So for them to call me, I was happy. Then you see to trade rumor where Chris Paul comes here. You possibly get a chance to learn under Steph Curry and Chris Paul. So it's like, why not? Anybody would take that as a rookie. So I was blessed.

Jerry Jiang 23:32

How are you able to make that impression on the coaching staff for your pre-Draft workouts?

Kendric Davis 23:38

Just being me. Obviously, I got enough film to know what I can do. But just winning every drill I play, being a competitor and just feeding what they do: pace, competing at a high level and winning. So I guess that stood out to them.

Parth Upadhyaya 24:01

What's up KD? Parth Upadhyay, Daily Memphian. When I asked you about what you were going to do on Draft night and you said you were just going to be at the gym with your son, what was that night like for you and then the hours while you're waiting to get drafted or while you were waiting to get that call, what were those hours like for you?

Kendric Davis 24:18

Honestly, I didn't have my phone. I was in the gym working out and Indiana said they were gonna take me at 56, so I thought it was done. But I didn't know, I was in the gym and they didn't take me. I had about six, seven teams reach out but to me, it was out of Memphis and Golden State and I just prayed on it. Me and my mom and my agent and we've decided learning from Steph Curry and Chris Paul would be the best fit and just hopefully end that way.

Parth Upadhyaya 24:51

As much as you (inaudible) at Memphis and loved your time there, as you said multiple times, how tough was it ultimately to turn down the Grizzlies and head over to the Bay.

Kendric Davis 25:05

Yeah, it was real tough, just because you see on Twitter. I think I was training. I was just going there. Like, everybody knew I was just going there. It was tough. When you get here though, you've got to make a business decision for me and my son, so I just know business-wise and for my family-wise this probably was the best fit.

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