Chris Chiozza, a point guard for Golden State, made a rare cameo for the team this month. The strange thing was that he was wearing a Celtics jersey with the No. 36, which belongs to Marcus Smart.
When Golden State surprised Gary Payton II with the N.B.A.’s Bob Lanier Community Assist Award at a practice before Game 1, Chiozza could be spotted in the background alongside his teammates, except he was outfitted in green. Chiozza’s job at practice had been to impersonate Smart to the best of his ability.
“He’s a little bigger than me, but it’s not that hard to emulate other players,” Chiozza said. “With him, it’s being physical, creating a lot of contact, being one of those pests.”
Chiozza took his role seriously: He knew it was the most action he was going to see all series.
Chiozza and Quinndary Weatherspoon, a shooting guard, are on two-way contracts with Golden State, which allowed them to split time with the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G League affiliate, during the regular season. But two-way players are ineligible to play in the postseason, which means Chiozza and Weatherspoon have been limited to practicing, working out and impersonating the team’s opponents.
As for the games themselves?
“You kind of feel helpless out there,” Chiozza said. “You feel more like a fan than a teammate, because you know there’s no possibility of getting on the court. So you’re just kind of sitting over there watching.”
Chiozza, 26, appeared in 34 regular-season games with Golden State, averaging 2 points and 1.9 assists. Weatherspoon, 25, played in 11 games and scored 11 points in a loss to the Denver Nuggets in March. He said he had been trying to soak up as many lessons as possible from Golden State’s postseason run.
“Watching what these guys go through, it just gives you a feel for what’s to come if you’re ever in that situation,” Weatherspoon said. “You’ll already know how to prepare.”
The real oddity of their situation comes on game day, when they do everything that their teammates do: participate in shootaround, watch film and work up a sweat doing individual on-court work in the couple of hours that lead up to the tip. But by the time everyone else is putting on their uniforms, Chiozza and Weatherspoon are showering and dressing in street clothes before they head to the bench.
“We warm up like we’re about to play,” Weatherspoon said. “It’s crazy.”
Chiozza has been on playoff teams in the past. As a first-year player during the 2018-19 season, he was with the Houston Rockets when they lost to Golden State in the Western Conference semifinals. He spent the past two seasons with the Nets. He has seen a difference in the way Golden State goes about its business.
“Especially as we get deeper in the playoffs, their demeanor and how they carry themselves and how they prepare for each game — they’re so experienced,” Chiozza said. “Like, if your opponent goes on a run, they don’t get down. When stuff’s not going right, a lot of teams will be like, ‘We might lose this game.’ But I never see any of that doubt from them. They never get flustered.”
