Former Warriors guard Damion Lee looking to win back-to-back championships — with Phoenix Suns

Damion Lee already has the date “locked in.”

Jan. 10, 2023.

That’s when he’ll receive his NBA championship ring from the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco before another sellout crowd.

Lee expects his brother-in-law, Stephen Curry, to present him with that ultimate bling-bling.

His family and friends will be there. He’ll probably receive a standing ovation.

Lee was a fan favorite. The Warriors are forever his family.

He has the Golden State logo tattooed on his leg, but after the ring presentation, Lee will rejoin the team he’s looking to help win a championship this season.

Phoenix Suns.

“For me, it’s what can I do to help add value on the court and off the court here knowing that there’s been success and that everyone here is hungry to try to get a championship,” Lee said.

Signing Lee in the offseason, Phoenix has a versatile 6-5 guard who can play multiple positions and has a skill set General Manager James Jones says the Suns didn’t have last season.

“Damion brings a combination of size, ball handling,” Jones said. “Scoring. He’s just different. With his size, he’s a different profile than we had last year.”

The Republic sat down with Lee to discuss winning a championship with Golden State, life as Curry’s brother-in-law, what he can bring to the Suns and more.

Q: What kind of vibes are you getting the first week of training camp?

DL: “We played some pick-up basketball the last couple of weeks, but the first couple of days of actual practice is nice. Guys are locked in. Trying to find ways to continue to get better. Ready to come out this year and play. I feel like guys are just excited the season is here. Guys are just locked in.”

Q: I hear the players talking about they had a long offseason, but you haven’t had a long offseason. How have you regenerated to get ready?

DL: “Offseason was a little bit shorter than normal. Winning it all, celebrating, going from there. I really didn’t take much time off. Even after we won. I took two weeks off, but I was still lifting during that time. Then picked up a ball, shooting a little bit. Free throws. It was really a bunch of like high load periods and low load periods. Just trying to maintain that to make sure I came into this season fresh.”

Q: What’s it like to be the brother-in-law of Steph Curry?

DL: “It’s dope. Obviously one of the greatest players to ever play the game. It’s great in that regards and also having Seth as a brother-in-law as well who is statistically one of the best 3-point shooters in NBA history. Having two guys like that, we’re family on the court and off the court. Have constant love for each other, but whenever we play against each other, it’s that battle in between the lines.”

Q: My follow up to that is, say you’re playing Golden State and there’s a switch and you’re on Steph. Does it go to another level?

DL: “At the end of the day, it’s just a game, right. So, you’re in competition. It’s Suns versus Warriors. It’s Suns versus (Brooklyn) Nets. It’s just a matter of doing whatever it takes in that moment to get a stop, try to get a stop. On the other end, try to get a bucket. There’s no real back-and-forth jabber. There’s no ego. Just a matter of what happens in the game and once the clock hits triple zeros after the fourth quarter, it’s all love.”

Q: People get labels. He’s athletic. He defends. I’m like, he scores, too. Given the opportunity, you can (score) 15, 16 points. Do you even view that as part of your game or it is like, whatever is said is said, I know what I can bring to the table?

(In the 2019-20 season, Lee scored 20 points to lead a short-handed Golden State team to a 115-99 win in Phoenix. He averaged a career-high 12.7 points that season, hitting a career-best 39.7% from 3).

DL: “I don’t really listen to much of what other people say or think about me. Every single day, I work on different aspects of my game. I try to be complete so whenever that moment does arise that I’m able to step up to it. And I feel like throughout the course of my career whether it’s been NBA, obviously in college, I’ve been kind of a guy that can just mold into any system, mold into any fit. Whether it comes down to playing defense, team defense, knowing the game. Knowing when to cut, move without the ball, scoring the basketball. I feel like I’ve done a little bit of everything throughout my basketball career leading up to this point. So it’s just a matter of how can I stay as consistent as I can be and how can I get on the court and stay on the court and whatever is asked of me, be able to do that at a high level to solidify myself on this team and the rest of my career.”

Q: When you talk about getting on the court, when I look at this roster, guys can play multiple positions. Does that help you because you can do the same?

DL: “Definitely. Even if you look during at my time at Golden State, I’ve helped bring the ball up the court, initiate offense to an extent. Just get the dominos to fall. Play the two, play the three. Even a couple of years ago, I played small-ball four. Being able to shoot it. I feel like being able to shoot the ball at a high clip in this league, just being able to be as fluid as possible and whatever Coach (Monty Williams) needs from me, those four things. Initiate the offense, play two through four, whatever it is. Just going out there and competing and knowing how to play off our guys. I feel like that’s something that I try to pride myself on knowing that I’m not the superstar or All-Star guy on the team. Knowing what my role is and just being able to play off those guys. Get them shots and then try to take pressure off them whenever the time comes.”

Q: Who are guys on this team that you played against and maybe you didn’t know their game, but now you’re like, that guy can play?

DL: “I’m a basketball junkie. So, I love the game. I’ve watched many Suns games while I was on the Warriors. I watch guys all across the league, try to take something from their game or just a fan of basketball, period. Whether it’s coaching styles or how guys just play offense, defense. Can’t really say anyone has really surprised me cause if you look at the past couple of years, the Suns have had success. I’ve had some success in my recent couple of years to solidify myself and obviously, team wise. Just trying to bring whatever knowledge I have down here so we can all be successful together.”

Q: Obviously, your first trip to Golden State, you’ll get that jewelry.

DL: Yes sir.

Q: How is that moment going to be for you? You’re going to be back on that floor and be around guys you won a championship with, but on the other team?

DL: “January 10th, 2023. Got the date already locked in. We play a few times before that. It’ll be down here in Phoenix.”

(Suns play the Warriors at home Oct. 25 and Nov. 16 before the Jan. 10 game. Their final regular-season matchup is March 13 in San Francisco).

DL: “That feeling of going back to a place where I call home. I’ve got the Golden State logo, I’ve got my jersey, I’ve got that tattooed on me because it means something to me. All my tattoos tell a story and have meaning for me and to me. So, once Jan. 10 comes around, I’m pretty sure it’ll be emotional. Looking forward to having my family and friends there in attendance, my close circle. I have a feeling, a strong feeling that Steph will probably be the one that’s going to present me. Whatever comes with that, I know there will be a lot of emotions before the game, but once the game starts, it’s time to lock in and do whatever is possible. It’ll be a great day just thinking about everything that I’ve gone through to even become an NBA player and continue to solidify myself and how we ended that last year and going back to get that ring, it’s going to be special.”

Q: You think it’ll add even more fuel to get another one with this group?

DL: “Oh of course. Being around those guys, they all have four and their hunger still lies in wanting to get another one. That drive changes every year of what it takes to get one. You’re not always underrated. You’re not always doubted. When you’re at the mountaintop, you want to stay at the mountaintop. For me, it’s what can I do to help add value on the court and off the court here knowing that there’s been success and that everyone here is hungry to try to get a championship.”

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Q&A: New Suns guard Damion Lee talks title hopes, Stephen Curry, more