Lindy Waters III Finding Ways to Contribute in Golden State
A former Cowboy is finding his role on his new team.
After spending the first three seasons of his NBA career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Lindy Waters III was traded to Golden State during the offseason. With the Thunder, Waters had inconsistent playing time at best and had little opportunity to see the floor as the team grew into one of the best in the league.
However, the Warriors were in need of solid players to come off the bench and add a scoring and shooting punch. That made Waters a perfect fit there coming into the 2024-25 season.
Through his first three games with the Warriors, Waters went 5-of-6 from the floor, scoring 14 points. While he played well, he only saw about 12 minutes of action, coming mostly in garbage time.
On Tuesday, Stephen Curry missed the Warriors’ matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans after suffering an ankle injury in their previous game. His absence opened the door for Waters to earn an opportunity, and he took advantage of his role.
Waters came off the bench and played 30 minutes, the second-most on the Warriors. He finished the game with 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a steal while shooting 8-of-13 from the floor. He also showed his outside shooting touch, shooting 3-of-7 from deep.
The Warriors outscored the Pelicans by a game-high 26 points when Waters was on the floor. He was also a pesky defender throughout the night. If Waters can keep up his impressive play, he should have no issues finding a regular spot in the rotation.
At 27 years old, Waters is in a contract year and in a pivotal season for his NBA career. As long as he can continue to have nights like this and be a consistent player for the Warriors, the former Cowboy should be in the league for years to come.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.