The Golden State Warriors are so good. They are 12-2, smoked the Brooklyn Nets last night and are going to add a 5-time All-Star. The depth is elite, the defense is the best in the NBA at this moment, and oh yeah, they have Stephen Curry. This is a championship contender, this looks like the dynastic Warriors, they look like the iron fist is back. How can the Warriors keep this up through June?
Let’s start with the build of the roster. The 2020-21 Warriors were a weird fit. They traded for Kelly Oubre Jr. and signed guys like Brad Wannamaker and Kent Bazemore. Those guys did not fit the way the Warriors play basketball. As a result, this year Bob Myers and the rest of the Warriors front office decided to key in on guys who do fit the way the Warriors play, the move the ball, the shoot the 3 ball, and they are very smart players. The first guy is Andre Iguodola. Iggy signed with the Warriors as a free agent in 2013 and was a part of all 3 championship teams and all 5 teams that went to the Finals, including winning Finals MVP in 2015. He is a really smart player, who is a very good passer, and plays solid defense even at 37 years old. They also signed Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica who play multiple forward positions and can make shots. Guards Damion Lee and Gary Payton II, have both had good seasons. The draft brought in players like Jordan Poole, James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody. Poole has had a breakout year, he is a really good scorer, and has been better defensively than he has been in years past. Wiseman has yet to play a game this season, and after a rough rookie year in which the Warriors were better without him last season after he got injured and missed the remainder of the season, he needs to improve in 2022 and become a key player for Golden State. Kuminga is really talented, extremely athletic, and has shown over the past couple of games that he can be a contributor to this Warriors team. Moody is a sharpshooter who has not played a big role this season but has a chance to be a really good player down the line, though I am not sure Kendrick Perkins has correctly pronounced his name yet. The Warriors are very deep and they are led by 2 players with one of the best connections in the entire NBA.
Draymond Green and Steph Curry’s connection is incredible. The way Draymond can throw a pass to Steph and Steph knows exactly where to go is awesome, they have been doing it for so long it is like clock work for them. Green is a defensive player of the year candidate and a front runner early in the season. He is incredible, always knows exactly where to be, what to do, and knows where everyone else needs to be (which is great for the young players). He is still a good one on one defender and an excellent team defender even as he enters his 10th NBA season in a career that he has played 764 career games (including postseason), and though him making shots is a rarity, his ability to see the court on offense makes him an excellent passer. There are no more words to describe Stephen Curry. He is the only player in NBA history with 10+ games with 9+ 3 pointers made, with 37… yes 37, James Harden and Damian Lillard are tied for 2nd with 9 games. He was dominant again last night scoring 37 points going 12/19 from the field and 9/14 from 3 point range in 29 minutes. The craziest thing was that Curry was on the bench with foul trouble for the final 7 minutes of the 3rd quarter, a quarter that the Warriors outscored the Nets 38-15. The Warriors are dangerous, but how dangerous are they?
They can win the championship, after last night looking at them now, they should be considered a contender, their depth, their chemistry, and they are getting Klay Thompson back. Now, do they need to add more? James Wiseman is a player that they need to get to a point where he is their starting center and he is making an impact, the talent that he has the Warriors need some of that to shine because if you can’t beat Kevon Looney for a starting job, that could be an issue. Andrew Wiggins is another player Golden State needs to produce, he has been a streaky player throughout his career and the Warriors need him to be consistent. Klay needs to get back and be 75% of Klay, yes this team is really good, but every champion needs breaks and also it is only November.
The Warriors are really good, they are 12-2, and just beat the Nets by 18 points in Brooklyn. They are deep, they have the stars, and they have great chemistry. The Warriors dominated the NBA from 2015 right through 2019 and they are right back at the top of the NBA after 2 season’s away from the playoffs. With Steve Kerr still leading the charge as coach this Golden State team could pull off yet another special run, though it is only November and we have a long way to go.
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