2014-15 season outlook: Brandon Rush
Golden State Warriors guard Brandon Rush, right, puts up a shot as Los Angeles Lakers forward Jordan Hill defends during the second half of a preseason basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Hunker down, get hydrated and tell your loved ones you will see them next spring.
Hopefully that’s not your mindset, but people should be warned: The at times seemingly never-ending NBA regular season is at hand.
The first handful of games tipped off Tuesday, and nearly every other team played its opener by Wednesday, marking the start of the 82-game grind.
Thankfully for us, all we have to do is sit back, watch and enjoy. To make sure you’re fully prepared for the 2014-15 campaign, we’ll be rolling out a season outlook for each former Kansas University player who currently calls The Association home.
Brandon Rush — Golden State Warriors
6-foot-6 Shooting guard | Seventh season
2013-14 numbers: 38 games | 11.0 minutes | 2.1 points | 1.2 rebounds | 33.3 FG% | 34 3pt% | 60 FT%
Injuries and a bad situation made Brandon Rush’s past few years in the league forgettable.
He only played two games before suffering a season-ending injury in 2012-13. Then Rush got traded to Utah, where the Jazz never integrated him into the rotation or game plans last year.
As our Gary Bedore wrote earlier this month, when he caught up with the former Jayhawk in Kansas City, Missouri, Rush described his previous two years as “brutal.”
Good news for the on-again, off-again Warrior: He is back in Golden State, playing with one of the top teams in the Western Conference — as opposed to, you know, the Jazz.
The Warriors inked Rush to a two-year free agent deal this summer and he is more than happy to not only put on those snazzy blue and gold uniforms again, but also have a complimentary role off the bench.
Golden State has one of — if not the most — talented starting backcourts in the NBA, with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. So Rush’s minutes could be sporadic, with Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa also backcourt options.
Rush actually missed Golden State’s season-opening win Wednesday night, at Sacramento, because he was inactive with a back injury.
When he is healthy, Rush figures to give new Golden State coach Steve Kerr some scoring and defense off the bench. Which of course were two things he did very well back in 2007-08 at KU — a time in Rush’s life recently re-visited by Laurence Scott for Warriors.com
So what do we expect out of Rush for the 2014-15 season?
Well, most importantly, he is going to be happy. Even if his role is limited, there is something special about playing with a team that feels like it has a shot to get to the NBA Finals.
When the Splash Brothers need a breather, Rush will be there to provide it. And we could see a lot of Rush in the playoffs if Golden State can secure a top seed and take the next step with a new coach, in Kerr.
‘Hawks in the NBA 2014-15 season outlooks:
• Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris — Suns