Stephen Curry and the Warriors suffered their roughest patch of the season so far, retain top spot with a 21-4 record
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The Golden State Warriors went through their roughest two weeks of the early season. Since the last piece to the segment, the Warriors lost two games, as unfortunately predicted. After going 18-2 to start the season, they went 1-2 against the Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs. The Dubs stabilized themselves and got two quick wins over the Orlando Magic and the Portland Trailblazers at home.
The Warriors now head on a five-game road trip, starting with the Philadelphia 76ers tonight. The time span of the last 9 games has been big, both for the team and for the players individually. We’ll take a look at all of the details one by one, starting with the elephant in the room.
The Good:
Stephen Curry inches closer to making NBA History, 9 shy of tying Ray Allen’s all-time record
The Golden State Warriors are the best team in the NBA, leading the league with a 21-4 record. One of the key reasons behind the same is the man donning the #30 jersey, Stephen Curry. Steph is the backbone of the Warriors’ offense, along with their spearhead.
The 33-year-old has been playing excellent basketball so far this season. He has been averaging 27.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.8 steals in the 24 games he’s played this season. Steph is still the front-runner in the MVP race.
Along with his stellar brand of offense, Curry’s attention to defense has propelled his numbers in the MVP race even further. His improvement in defense has reflected for the team overall as well.
After the Blazers’ game the other night, Stephen Curry now needs 10 more 3s to dethrone Ray Allen, and secure the final all-time 3-pointer record to his name as well. Warriors fans would hope that the Chef knocks down the 10 3s tonight. Even though the chase of the record has been fun, it has been a source of additional pressure, and we’d like to see Steph play without the added stress.
Jordan Poole for Most Improved Player, as Stephen Curry takes him under his wing
Starting the season, Jordan Poole had already shown terrific improvement and had everyone impressed. Averaging 12 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists last season, Poole averaged 16.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists for the first 15 games of this season. The Warriors were impressed by his work, and glad by the promise shown by the young one.
However, Poole showed us that he still has a higher gear he can kick into. In the last 10 games, he has been putting up 20.2 points, 4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists, while shooting 43.2% from the deep.
Playing in only his 3rd season in the league, Poole has a lot of time to grow and evolve into the player he can be. He has been showing potential, and the Warriors would sure back him, and help him develop his game even further.
Jordan is often spotted working out with Stephen Curry or picking his brain during practices. Spending time with one of the best all-time would surely help Poole improve and get even better.
Draymond Green has his sights set on an All-Star selection and his 2nd DPOY trophy
At the beginning of the season, Draymond Green talked about how he wanted to be an all-star again. Well, he’s surely been putting the work in for the same. Draymond Green has been playing one of the best defenses of his career and is leading the Warriors’ from the front. The Dubs lead the league in defense, with a defensive rating of 99.5. The 2nd closest are the Phoenix Suns, with a rating of 103.6. The gap between the #1 seeded Dubs and the #2 seeded Phoenix is larger than the gap between the #2 seeded Suns and the #11 seeded Wolves.
Apart from being a defensive giant, Draymond has worked on his offense as well. He’s been playing the best offense he’s played in the last 5 years or so. Apart from being the excellent facilitator he is, Green is also being more aggressive, driving to the hoop, and taking more shots. This opens up the floor for the rest of the team, and the results certainly show.
If Draymond keeps up with his efforts on both sides of the floor, life would be much easier for all the Warriors, especially now that Klay‘s return isn’t that far away.
Andrew Wiggins’ brilliance, and the Warriors’ bench depth
Over the course of the last 9 games, we have witnessed how this season’s Warriors are not the same as they were in the previous season. Coming from a season where it was Stephen Curry or nothing, the Warriors have worked hard, and built a roster that can handle time without Stephen Curry.
Andrew Wiggins has been playing some of the best basketball of his life. After the game against Karl Anthony-Towns and the Wolves, Wiggins has been on fire.
Apart from Wiggins, there have also been a couple of bench players who continue to pitch in and impress with their performances night after night. With the kind of roster depth the Warriors have, it doesn’t have to be a single person contributing every night, and that is exactly the case. Over the last 9 games, we have seen big performances from Juan Toscano Anderson, Gary Payton II, Nemanja Bjelica, and Otto Porter Jr.
With the bench depth, there hasn’t been pressure on Stephen Curry and the rest of the starters to show up big every night. This has helped Steph limit his minutes on nights where he would’ve been playing the previous season. In the long run, this is going to be beneficial, as the Warriors plan to have a deep playoff run.
We may be 5-6 games away from a Klay Thompson return!
It has been 911 days since Klay Thompson last stepped foot on the court in the Warriors jersey. These days have not been easy for the Warriors, and we can’t even begin to comprehend how hard they were on Thompson.
Klay has been asked to stay behind during the five-game Warriors’ road trip, as he works on the final part of his rehab process. Considering he has no more restrictions on the on-court activities, the only thing left is his fitness and conditioning.
The Warriors are in a good spot in the season and don’t have to rush anything. Even though the initial dates for his return were pitched on 20th or 23rd December, it could take longer, and the Warriors are okay with the same. All of us just want Klay healthy and back, even if it means waiting for a few more days or weeks.
However, as of now, the timeline still seems intact for 20th or 23rd. It still remains to be seen what happens, but we sure would get to hear about it as soon as the team’s front office makes a decision.
The Bad:
Golden State Warriors, and their continuous, irresponsible turnovers
Not a lot of people would be able to accurately guess where a team that has a 21-4 record to lead the league ranks on turnovers. The Warriors, despite leading the league with an impressive record, have been bothered by their turnovers, just like always. They’re ranked 29th in the league in turnovers, with a whopping 16.2 turnovers a game.
The Warriors often get sloppy with the ball, and it ends up making contests closer than they should have been. This has been a problem plaguing Steve Kerr and co. since his term, and the Warriors find their ways around the same, instead of dealing with the same.
If the Dubs manage to curb this issue, they might get a lot stronger than they currently are.
What to look forward to from Stephen Curry and co.?
The next few days aren’t going to be easy for Stephen Curry and co. They play 5 games in a span of 8 days, and that too, on the road. They then head home for two games, before heading back on the road. Optimistically, they go unbeaten on the road, but the two back-to-back games reduce the probability of the same.
Hopefully, by the time the next edition of this is taken out, Klay Thompson would be back in a Warriors’ jersey, and having the time of his life on the court.
