Malevy Leons turned a difficult night into a glimpse of toughness and adaptability after the short-handed Golden State Warriors fell 127-113 to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday at Chase Center. The two-way forward said he is still dealing with his wrist, but he is focused on making the most of every minute.
“It’s all right. I just don’t have like full mobility,” Leons said. “So just been like trying to find different ways to work around it and yeah, one of them things is left-handed free throws.”
Leons, who made one of those left-handed free throws, said the moment was strange but satisfying. “Pretty cool,” he said. “Just trying to aim at the basket and hope and pray that it goes in.”
He said the issue has been bothering him since the Detroit game and that the medical staff has kept him working daily. “Yeah, since the Detroit game,” Leons said. “The medical staff been working on it with me and like doing rehab every day and yeah, hopefully slowly getting better.”
For Leons, the problem is not only pain. “It’s more like motion thing,” he said. “Trying to like get it all the way back so I can like shoot again and be nice.”
He also described how Steve Kerr adjusted a play for him earlier in the week. “He changed it for me,” Leons said. “So he definitely helped me out and he just helps me put me in the best positions to succeed.”
Leons said this stretch is part of his larger goal of earning a place in the league. “It’s just another opportunity to show what I can do and provide for the team,” he said. “It’s an amazing experience, like being able to play on the NBA court against another good team and compete against them.”
Asked about guarding Victor Wembanyama, Leons kept it simple. “I mean, he’s pretty tall,” he said. “Just try my best.”
He said he has studied Draymond Green’s approach in those matchups. “Been trying to watch how Draymond does it,” Leons said. “I think he’s a great example to follow and trying to learn stuff from and try to copy it once I got into the game.”
Leons finished by pointing to the bigger picture for a team missing multiple rotation players. “We competed,” he said. “Everyone who stepped on the court today was going on the court with that same mindset and same goal.”
“We can look ourselves in the mirror at the end of the day and know we laid everything out there,” Leons added. “So that’s good.”
