Warriors' glimpse of Mychal Mulder's potential leads to new contract

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SAN FRANCISCO -- The Warriors seek a specific profile among wings, and Mychal Mulder fits it. He has a nice 3-point shot, is a solid citizen and uses his 6-foot-8 wingspan allows him to defend multiple positions.

Such players don’t often come off Any Street, USA, and Mulder most certainly did not.

The 6-4 guard came from Canada, through two colleges, many streets and several towns.

Mulder spent three years working on his game and waiting for his chance. When opportunity appeared last month, he grabbed it with every ounce of his body.

It paid off, too, as Mulder on Tuesday signed a contract with the Warriors that will keep him around for the final 18 games of this season and secure an opportunity to return next season.

“I kept the faith all the way through,” Mulder said Tuesday after shootaround. “It’s been a long road; I’m three years removed from college now. But I continued to bet on myself by going back to the G-League and remaining so close. I knew that being so close to the big teams that eyes would be on me and eventually I would get the opportunity I felt like I worked for.”

Mulder, 25, graduated from Catholic Central High School in Windsor, Ontario before bringing his game to the United States at Vincennes University in Indiana. After two seasons, the 6-foot-4 guard was recruited to Kentucky, where he made two starts and two seasons before graduating with a degree in Communications.

Undrafted by the NBA, Mulder spent the next three years prowling the G-League, two with the Windy City Bull and a third, this season, with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. After 134 games at that level, he came to the Warriors 13 days ago on a 10-day contract.

“Watching NBA games, I did a lot of studying, a lot of studying at my position, specifically,” Mulder said. “I just knew that if I got an opportunity, I’d be ready whenever my name was called. I’ve got a lot of respect for guys around the league, and I just felt like I could do the job to the best of my ability.”

If there was a moment when the Warriors thought he might stick, it came on Feb. 29 at Phoenix, where Mulder volunteered to defend Suns star Devin Booker. D-Book scored 21 points on 6-of-16 shooting, as the Warriors rolled to a 115-99 victory.

If there was anything about Mulder that persuaded the Warriors to offer a second contract, it is his two-way potential. In seven games, he averaged 12.3 points, shooting 43.1 percent overall, 35.8 percent from distance.

“You’re going to realize in this league what keeps guys alive isn’t just the ability to shoot the ball, but it’s the ability to guard multiple positions,” Mulder said. “And the sooner you. realize that, the better for your career.”

Consider the Warriors’ decision to sign Mulder something of a vote of confidence. His contract for next season is not guaranteed, but it makes a statement about the interest of the franchise.

Mulder intends to force them to bring him back.

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“Coming in here, I was focused on doing my job to the best of my ability and doing what the coaching staff asked me and gaining the trust of my teammates,” he said. “From that standpoint, nothing changes. It’s business as usual.

“This is a perfect fit for me. I don’t think there’s a better spot for me than Golden State to demonstrate what I can do and also fit into a system really well. This is where I want to be as long as they want me here.”

If his seven-game audition is an indication of his ability, there’s a good chance he’ll be back.

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