SAN FRANCISCO – Despite sitting on the bench for long stretches, Lindy Waters III hasn’t had much difficulty maintaining his focus. If that ever becomes a distraction, the Warriors’ fourth-year shooting guard gives himself a gentle mental nudge.

“You just got to remind yourself where I am,” Waters said in the aftermath of Golden State’s 121-113 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. “I’m grateful for where I’m at. If I got to come in early in the first quarter or late in the fourth quarter, no matter what time it is, I’m just going to go, come in here and give it my all. Just have fun with it.

“I’m just being where my feet are.”

Waters’ feet were on the court during crunch time at Chase Center against Memphis. He scored eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, including a pair of key deep shots in the final five and a half minutes to help the resurgent Warriors to their third win in four games.

Waters, who went undrafted out of college in 2021 and was acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder last July, scored in double figures for the second consecutive game. That’s something that the 27-year-old reserve had done only twice before since his rookie season.

Lindy Waters makes a big splash 💧

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— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 5, 2025

It was big, too, especially when Waters heated up in the fourth quarter. The Warriors, who already were playing without Stephen Curry, lost Jonathan Kuminga to a right ankle sprain in the first half. That meant Golden State was minus its top two playmakers when the game was on the line.

“Lindy is a really great shooter,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He started out the season hot and then cooled off. This is all part of his development and progression as a young player. You just have to kind of ride the wave as a shooter. There are times when the ball’s not going in but you can’t let that affect your confidence.

“He’s really bounced back well here. Looks more confident, more comfortable now than he did a few weeks ago. He’s done a great job of mentally preparing himself.”

The ball movement leaves Waters open 💦

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— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 5, 2025

Waters didn’t make too much out of his night but applauded his teammates for all stepping up while Curry rested.

As a team, the Warriors shot better than 50 percent from the floor and were 24 of 43 from distance. They also were extremely effective moving the ball and had 32 assists on 44 buckets.

“We’d be happy to have him but guys (were) sharing the ball, guys getting open looks and knocking them down and it’s contagious,” Waters said. “We’re just trying to build on top of this and take it into tomorrow.”

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