Takeaways from Warriors' Win vs. Grizzlies: Leons, Richard Give Dubs Big Lift

With just nine players available, the Golden State Warriors (31-28) blew out the Memphis Grizzlies 133-112 on Wednesday at FexExForum.

Eight of the Warriors' nine players scored in double figures, led by Will Richard with 21 points.

For the Grizzlies (21-36), GG Jackson had a team-high 24 points.

Here are three takeaways from Wednesday's game.

Leons Gives Warriors Big Lift

With Golden State down to nine players, Malevy Leons had to know he was going to play rotation minutes for the first time in his career.

To his credit, he didn't show any nerves.

Leons had nine points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in 17 minutes. His biggest highlight was picking Ty Jerome's pocket when the guard was trying to drive by him one-on-one.

Leons is a on a two-year, two-way contract. He's probably not ready to give the Warriors consistent minutes down the stretch this season, but it's easy to see his potential as a lengthy, do-it-all forward.

Expect the Warriors to keep Leons on his two-way contract into next season. If he continues to develop, he could sign a standard contract at some point next year.

Richard Bounces Back

Richard had no shot attempts against the Pelicans on Tuesday and finished a minus-19 in a four-point loss. He needed a bounce-back game, and he delivered with 21 points (9-of-15 shooting), six assists, five rebounds and three steals.

One could argue Richard has hit the rookie wall. Since Dec. 22, he came into Wednesday shooting just 28.4 percent from three and 39.9 percent overall.

So it was nice to see him have an efficient game.

The Warriors have only five players under guaranteed contracts for next season, and Richard is one of them. His disruptive defense is already plenty valuable, but his offense needs improvement if he's going to be a consistent rotation player next year.

Maybe he can build on Wednesday's performance down the stretch.

Every Warrior Had a Good Game, Which Means the Head Coach Deserves Credit

I usually spotlight just two or three Warriors in my takeaways articles, but this time it feels like everyone deserves a shoutout, so let's go down the list.

Gui Santos had 17 points on just seven field-goal attempts. His ability to mix in a drive every once in a while is really helping the Warriors offense.

Al Horford had 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and zero turnovers. Early in the game, the Warriors used him as an offensive focal point, and he passed out of double-teams to create great offense.

Moses Moody had 14 points on just seven shot attempts. He's been playing great since mid-January.

Brandin Podziemski had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists. He got the start, perhaps to take some pressure off Pat Spencer, and it worked, as both of them played well.

Spencer had 12 points and nine assists. He was a game-high plus-23. He easily outplayed his brother, as Cam Spencer had just five points and was a minus-29.

Quinten Post had 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Post has been in a slump, so even though this wasn't a virtuoso performance, it was something he can build on.

Gary Payton II had 19 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. After being very passive for most of the season, he's scored in double figures in six of his last eight games.

Playing without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Kristaps Porzingis, it wasn't supposed to be this comfortable of a win for the Warriors.

But Steve Kerr had his team ready to play, and they executed. He deserves a ton of credit for how they have been playing for the last eight or so games while very short-handed.