Five things to watch from Warriors in Summer League

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LAS VEGAS — Earlier this week, during a phone interview from his Las Vegas hotel, Chris DeMarco practiced his first pep talk as a head coach.

Fresh off his second season as a player-development coach, he recognizes that the biggest challenge of leading the Warriors’ Summer League team will be managing players’ expectations. A roster of 18 doesn’t afford meaningful minutes for everyone.

“The Warriors are about people making sacrifices,” said DeMarco, rehearsing the messaging he planned to deliver in one of his first team meetings. “Whether it’s Andre (Iguodala) not starting anymore or some of these guys who’ve started forever coming in and playing limited minutes, they all do it because they see results. Obviously, this is a different team. But we’ll have that same culture.”

DeMarco’s focus in Summer League, which begins for the Warriors on Saturday night against Philadelphia in Las Vegas, is on developing the four players who will be on Golden State’s bench next season: Patrick McCaw, Kevon Looney, Damian Jones and rookie Jordan Bell. Still, the next week-plus is an opportunity for those not under contract with the Warriors to gain valuable experience.

An impressive outing or two could earn them a training-camp invite with an NBA team. And who knows? Though Golden State’s roster is expected to reach the maximum of 15 within the next couple of days, someone could be waived and a spot on the prohibitive league favorite’s roster could open.

Here are five things to watch from the Warriors in Las Vegas:

How much will McCaw play? McCaw has already emerged as a draft-night steal. A second-round pick from UNLV, he led Golden State with 15.8 points per game on 46.7 percent shooting (38.2 from three-point range) in Las Vegas last summer before carving out a rotation spot in the regular season.

Golden State Warriors guard Patrick McCaw (0) drives on Cleveland Cavaliers guard Deron Williams (31) in the second half of Game 4 of basketball's NBA Finals in Cleveland, Friday, June 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane) less Golden State Warriors guard Patrick McCaw (0) drives on Cleveland Cavaliers guard Deron Williams (31) in the second half of Game 4 of basketball's NBA Finals in Cleveland, Friday, June 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Ron ... more Photo: Ron Schwane, Associated Press Photo: Ron Schwane, Associated Press Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Five things to watch from Warriors in Summer League 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Now, as the only player on the Warriors’ Summer League roster with significant NBA experience, he will be the clear leader. The question is how many games he’ll play. After playing until mid-June, McCaw could probably use a bit of a break.

Golden State’s front office doesn’t want to risk injuring a player who could be an important part of the rotation next season in games that don’t matter. As of Wednesday afternoon, DeMarco wasn’t sure whether McCaw would be limited in Las Vegas.

“I actually don’t know,” DeMarco said. “I’d expect him to. But that’s probably more of a question that I’ll have to discuss with management, then go from there. We haven’t really talked about that.”

Can Looney bounce back from another disappointing season? Looney is a relentless rebounder who has the potential to excel in the pick-and-roll. But two years into his NBA career, the former UCLA standout’s production has yet to match his physical tools.

Two hip surgeries limited Looney’s 2015-16 rookie season to five games. After a strong start to the regular season last year, he was a non-factor in limited minutes, and his playing time dwindled. Looney totaled only 43 minutes in April and May. Much of the playoffs, he was inactive with a strained left hip.

While many teammates celebrated Golden State’s second NBA title in three years, Looney stayed in Oakland to work on his conditioning. He is now healthy and hoping for a big Summer League.

Though the Warriors picked up the third-year, $1.2 million option on Looney to prevent him from becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer, he doesn’t have complete job security. It is possible that, in an offseason filled with turnover, Golden State could waive him or dump him in a trade.

“I think it’s an important summer for him to show how hard he can work,” DeMarco said. “Unfortunately, he’s had some bad luck with the injuries. But he looks good right now, and I expect him to have a nice Summer League.”

How will Bell look? The Warriors were widely praised last month for buying the draft rights to Bell, who went 38th overall to the Bulls. The former Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, who is expected to sign a two-year guaranteed deal at the rookie minimum, is adept at working off screens and can guard all five positions.

At 6-foot-9, 224 pounds, he is an undersized power forward who can play center in small-ball lineups. Bell projects as an instant-energy role player in Golden State’s switch-heavy system. In high-octane Summer League games where he’ll be free to run the floor and catch lobs, he could be a difference-maker.

As the only rookie on the roster, Bell is probably the player Warriors fans are most eager to see in Las Vegas. The next week-plus will be big for him to get comfortable with McCaw, Looney and Jones, and acclimate to Golden State’s system.

Will Jones build off his Development League strides? The progress Jones made last season in the D-League (now the Gatorade League) was one of the Warriors’ more overlooked developments. Over the course of several months with Santa Cruz, Jones cut down on fouls and blossomed into a dominant two-way player. He was named D-League Player of the Month for March and April after averaging 17.6 points and 7.8 rebounds in 12 games.

Still, the 7-foot, 245-pounder had a tough time earning meaningful NBA playing time. He topped the 10-minute mark in only three of the 10 games he played all season. A year after missing Summer League with a torn right pectoral muscle, Jones is poised to be a key player in Las Vegas.

Will four former Oregon teammates share the floor? Bell isn’t the only ex-Duck on Golden State’s Summer League roster. In Las Vegas, he’ll be joined by three of his college running mates: Chris Boucher, Dylan Ennis and Elgin Cook.

The four played together on the 2015-16 Oregon team that reached the Elite Eight, though Ennis was limited to two games that season with a broken foot. Last season, Boucher, Ennis and Bell were on the Ducks’ Final Four squad. And Jabari Brown, one of three Warriors who played with Santa Cruz last season, logged two games with the Ducks in 2011 before transferring to Missouri.

It seems unlikely that Boucher, who is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in March, will appear in any games in Las Vegas. But including Brown, there could be as many as four Oregon alums in Golden State jerseys sharing the court.

Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Con_Chron