Stephen Curry for MVP, Jordan Poole as MIP, Klay Thompson’s return, Draymond Green’s offense and other observations from the 6-1 start to the season: Golden State Warriors’ TSR fort-night roundup

A brief insight into the Warriors’ season so far: Stephen Curry and his performances, Jordan Poole, the bench, and more

The Golden State Warriors have not done a lot wrong to start off their season. After having an unbeaten preseason, the Dubs already set the expectations high for themselves. Now, 7 games in, they have a 6-1 record to show, with the lone defeat coming as the OT loss against the Grizzlies.

The Warriors fans have seen it all. After years of not having a good enough team, we finally managed to make it to five straight NBA Finals. We won three championships in that span. However, injuries plagued us, and we haven’t seen the lights of the playoffs for two years, yet again. However, with the team this year, things appear to be different.

Let us break down all that has happened in this two-week span, and discuss our aspirations for the future.

Stephen Curry and his on and off start to the season

Stephen Curry picked up this season, right where he left off the previous one. Coming off the best season of his life, as a scorer, Curry had set high expectations for him. He started the season off pretty well, recording a 21 point triple-double to secure a win over the Lakers. He then went on to score 45 point double-double to win over the Clippers. Curry recorded a 27 point double-double over the Kings, leading the Dubs to a 3-0 start for the season. Since then, Curry has only scored 30+ points once, that too in the loss against the Grizzlies. Steph’s name has been in MVP conversations all around the league, and rightfully so.

Curry was leading the league in scoring, yet again, with 28.7 ppg. However, his average fell down to 26.7 after the 15 points showing against the Hornets last night. In a season where Stephen Curry is poised to take over Ray Allen and make the 3-point record his own, Curry has been shooting a career-worst 37.4% from 3s(not including the 5 games he played in 2019-20 season.) While 37.4% is a great percentage for most players, the standards are higher for the best shooter the world has ever seen. One of the reasons behind the same could be the new Wilson ball, which has been blamed for a league-low shooting %. On the other hand, Steph has been incredible on defense, leading all guards in defensive rating.

However, knowing the Chef, we know the slump won’t last for long. It’s only a matter of time, before he puts his head down, and takes the league by storm yet again. However, to see the Warriors doing so well, and winning 6/7 games, while Curry has scored 30+ in only two of them, is a big win on its own.

Jordan Poole and his emergence from the shadows

Jordan Poole was selected as the 28th pick by the Warriors in the 2019 Draft. His first season with the Warriors was the team’s worst season in their history. Coming off the run of their lives, the Warriors succumbed to injuries, and fell from their throne. Stephen Curry played 4 games in the whole season, before suffering a fractured left wrist that ruled him out for the season. As soon as he returned, the NBA shut down due to COVID.

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Poole, in his first season, didn’t have the best time. However, last season, Poole showed hints of brilliance and increased his numbers. Last season, Poole was averaging 12 points over a 51 game span. This season, he has increased the numbers to 16.4 points, but the averages don’t do him justice. JP put in a lot of work during the off-season, and showed us what all he can do, during the preseason. Poole has been a crucial contributor for the Dubs, starting as the 2 guard, in place of Klay Thompson, till he returns. He has had 3 games of 20 more points so far, and a season-high 31 points last night.

Poole’s shooting has been a little streaky. He tends to lose confidence in his ability and needs to be backed up. However, he would build confidence as he plays, and he has the perfect veteran core to support him. We’ve seen him shooting around with Steph during practices, and Steph mentoring him. With such sessions, Poole is only going to get better, both as a player and a shooter.

Draymond Green re-discovering his offense

During the span of the last 4 seasons or so, Draymond Green‘s offense has fallen off. From averaging over 11 points per game, Green has been averaging 7-8 ppg for the last 3 seasons. A big reason for the same could have been the lack of need to produce offensively, during the Warriors’ dominance era. However, the case was different the last two seasons, and Green’s offense was still missing. He had also been shooting under 30% from 3s.

However, Green has been on a path to correct the same this season. He has been working with coaches to rediscover his shot, so he could help the team better. Talking about the same, he said,

If Green can keep providing the Dubs with buckets when they need them, it would make life easier for the rest of the team. Green is still the team’s defensive anchor, and if he can get his offense back on track, the Warriors would become a much scarier unit.

Impressive display by the Warriors’ bench unit, led by Damion Lee

The Warriors have one of the deepest benches in the NBA this season. This is also the best bench strength they’ve had in a really long time. Even during their championship runs, they never had a bench as deep and versatile as the one they have right now. They have players like Damion Lee, Juan Tuscano-Anderson, Andre Iguodala, Otto Porter Jr., Nemanja Bjelica, Gary Payton II, and then their two star rookies.

The bench has been pretty impressive 7 games into the season. Despite off nights by Stephen Curry, the wins haven’t stopped, and that is due to the bench stepping up, and handling the charge, both on the offensive and defensive end. All the offensive punch provided by the bench has allowed Curry to take it a little easy this season, and take a load off his shoulders. Hopefully, they can stay consistent, and keep delivering when needed.

The Woes: Turnovers

If there is something that has plagued the Warriors since Steve Kerr took over, it has been the turnovers. Ever since Kerr took over, the lowest turnovers the team has averaged have been 13.8. This was back in the 2018-19 season. This season, the Dubs are averaging 16 turnovers per game. This very issue cost the Dubs the one game they’ve lost this season, conceding 22 turnovers against the Grizzlies.

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It may be argued that the team is still developing chemistry, and the feel of the Wilson ball is different. However, everyone hopes that the Dubs can check this aspect of their game. If we can limit our turnovers, our defensive rating, which leads the league right now, would go even further up.

What to look forward to? The much-awaited return of Klay Thompson and James Wiseman

The Golden State Warriors are not playing at their full capacity right now. The younger half of the Splash Brothers, Klay Thompson is recovering from an Achilles injury. Even though an exact date for his return is not set, but he’s expected to return at the end of December or early January. With Klay back in the lineup, the possibilities for the Warriors are endless.

Warriors’ lottery pick James Wiseman is also set to return soon from his injury. He was recently cleared for team practices, and the return to NBA from there is almost 3-4 weeks away. With both of them back in the lineup, many are expecting Dubs to go all the way.

Expectations for the next seven games

The Warriors still have 5 games left on their homestand. We expect them to make the best of this time and secure as many wins as they can. They then head on a 4-game road trip, starting in Charlotte. As long as the Warriors can keep sharing the ball as they have, limiting their turnovers, and getting quality looks, we shall be alright.

With all pieces of the team clicking, it sure is a scary time for the league to face the Warriors.