It has been quite the roller coaster ride over the first six games of the Warriors season. Growing pains were to be expected with several new faces and another season without Klay Thompson. This bumpy start has sparked a lot of conversation in the NBA world, leading to many different questions. Is Klay the glue that holds this team together? Can Steve Kerr coach without all the superstars and veteran leaders around? Will Kelly Oubre remember how to shoot a basketball? Will Stephen Curry get double-teamed every time he touches the ball?
After Friday’s ugly loss to the Trail Blazers, the Warriors came out Sunday and Monday and answered a lot of the questions. Klay might be the glue, but Andrew Wiggins is starting to get really comfortable trying to fill his shoes and Draymond Green coming back certainly helps. Kerr made the appropriate changes in the rotation to get more minutes for guys like Kent Bazemore who understand their current role on this team. Oubre remembered how to shoot, putting up 35 points in the two-game span on the strength of five three-pointers. Finally, Stephen Curry. Remember him? He only put up 92 points in seven quarters in that two-game span. I think that guy is a pretty good basketball player if I remember correctly.
While it was very exciting to see the Dubs team perform like this, they had a big test coming their way with a back-to-back against the Clippers on the horizon. Game one went to the Clippers, but there was a lot to like from this performance. Let’s dive into the positives from the Warriors last night.
Hello, Andrew Wiggins
The Clippers game plan from the jump was very obvious. Patrick Beverley and their defense was going to deny Steph once he crossed half-court and allow anybody else to beat them. This meant that Steve Kerr was going to finally figure out who was going to step up and establish themselves as the go-to second scoring option. Early on, Kelly Oubre was taking aggressive shots and trying to keep up the momentum that he had coming in from the previous two games. Unfortunately, we saw more of the Oubre from the previous six games as he struggled mightily from outside once again.
Luckily, not only did Andrew Wiggins pick up the load, he did so very efficiently while also playing fantastic defense on Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Wiggins put up a shared team-high 19 points on 8-12 shooting, providing a consistent scoring threat on a night where Steph couldn’t get much going. This is the production that the Warriors were after when they brought him in from Minnesota. The talent has always been there for Wiggins and we are starting to see it finally appear. Throw in that he has really stepped up on the defensive end and is guarding the impact scorers on elite teams and Wiggins is starting to display how valuable he is going to be if the Warriors plan on making a long playoff run.
The Bench Production
I was very excited about the depth on this Warriors team early on. Because of that, it was frustrating to see them struggle as they did in the beginning. It seemed like Steve Kerr just couldn’t figure out how to make his rotation pieces work. However, moving Eric Paschall to the bench and seeing him step up and perform like he did last year has been a great sign. If you recall my recap from the first week, I was very disappointed with how Paschall performed. I had sky-high expectations for him after he burst onto the scene last season. It appears that Kerr has finally found the role that is best suited for his young forward. In every game off the bench this season, Paschall has put up at least 10 points, including a season-high 19 against the Clippers.
Along with Paschall, bench contributors like Damion Lee and Kent Bazemore have also provided the Warriors with important minutes off the bench. Relying on these two to provide these minutes has been important for the team because they have been around the system longer than some of the other guys contributing minutes. They have a clear understanding of how Kerr wants to operate and make the flow of the team look better instead of watching guys run around and needing to be told where to go.
Steph, the Facilitator
When Stephen Curry is allowed to take over a game, it is a thing of beauty. His 62 point explosion on Sunday was such a great reminder that he can do things on the basketball court that put him in a class of his own. However, it seems like when Pat Bev rolls into town, the only thing on his mind is to make sure Steph doesn’t get the chance to decide the game. This is exactly what happened last night and emphasizes why it is so important for someone to step up. Teams like the Clippers know they can get away with putting extra pressure on Curry without Klay being out there until there is a threat to prevent them from doing so.
This means that Steph has to emphasize facilitating as much as scoring. It’s still so early in the season. This is not an overnight fix. There have been flashes of guys like Wiggins and Paschall showing that they can carry the load on offense. Kelly Oubre is eventually going to get consistent and break out of this early-season slump. However, the one that Steph needs is James Wiseman. While he is still adjusting, Wiseman has shown that he can be an impact offensive weapon. This gives Curry an easy option to look for and lets him go to work while also finding open looks. The second overall pick is still raw in his development, but with Steph and Draymond serving as support, he will soon be able to impact the game in a way that this Warriors team hasn’t seen in a while.
See You Soon, Clippers
The Clippers are a better team than the Warriors as we sit here today. They have more talent as well as more depth. However, if the Warriors play them as well as they did in the first matchup later in the season, we will probably see a different result. This Dubs team still has so much room to grow. Steve Kerr is still trying to get everyone comfortable playing alongside one another. James Wiseman is still getting through some of the inevitable rookie mistakes. Regardless, this Warriors team is heading in the right direction. Between these two clubs, the Lakers, and the Phoenix Suns, the four best teams in the Western Conference might all reside in the same division. This has the potential to be an exciting division to watch all season long and it will continue Friday night.
