LA Clippers: Marreese Speights thanks Warriors fans for welcome

During Marreese Speights’ return to Golden State, the new LA Clippers center was met with a warm welcome and a video tribute by the Warriors and their fans.

The LA Clippers‘ preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors didn’t go well. In all aspects of the game, they were outplayed, outworked, and ultimately lost 120-75 as they travelled to Oakland. The night went slightly better for Clippers backup center Marreese Speights, though.

For him, it wasn’t just a night to don his Clippers jersey in a game for the first time — it was a chance to face his former team.

Speights played for the Warriors for the last three seasons and was a particularly key offensive contributor off the bench during their championship-winning 2014-15 season, averaging 10.4 points in 15.9 minutes per game.

As an offensive spark plug, capable of stretching defenses with his improved three-point shot, Warriors fans will miss the fun nights when Speights went off in a hurry. They let him know that in the Clippers’ preseason opener, showing a video tribute to Speights during a timeout in the first quarter and giving him a warm cheer and round of applause as he checked into the game.

Speights obviously appreciated the gesture. Which, for a Clipper in Golden State, is an especially loving gesture.

The rivalry and competitiveness between the two teams has been heightened over the last couple of years, and the Warriors fans showing Speights some love despite the team’s differences shows how much they’ll miss his personality and “Mo Buckets” moments on the court.

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During his last two season with the Warriors, Speights averaged 23 points and 10 rebounds per 36 minutes. He started shooting more threes from the start of 2016 as well, upping his percentage from beyond the arc to a career-high 38.7 percent with a 41.9 percent stroke in the playoffs.

He provided a similar input for the Clippers in their lacklustre preseason opener, dropping a team-high 14 points on 50 percent shooting with two three-pointers and five rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench.

Speights has obvious flaws and there’s no denying that. He’s a poor defender and won’t bring much to the table if he isn’t hitting shots. But, thankfully for the Clippers, he has the ability to hit plenty of shots in a hurry at times. That floor spacing spark plug is what Doc Rivers is eager to utilize.

Next: Clippers dominated by in-form Warriors in preseason opener

Now, we need to see how he fits in with the bench, how the unit gets by with his defense, and whether he can be enough of an offensive energizer to become a fan favorite in L.A., too.