The Golden State Warriors’ five-game winning streak which had them riding high in the first few weeks of the NBA season came to an end on November 5 when they fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Eight days before Christmas, this past Sunday, was the last time they were able to win back-to-back games.
After a 129-118 victory versus the Washington Wizards on Friday, a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the score might indicate, the team has now extended its winning run to four games. Saying that the Warriors are back in the mix after a mediocre game at home against one of the poorest teams in the league would be overreacting. However, even in spite of—or maybe even more so because of—the absences of Draymond Green, Gary Payton II, and, in this particular game, Andrew Wiggins, they seem to be beginning to come together.
Let’s now grade each player. For the obvious reason that it’s Friday night and the holidays, I’ll try to keep it brief! As usual, grades are determined by my standards for every player; a player’s average performance is denoted with a “B” grade.
Note: Threes and free throws are included in the scoring efficiency measure known as true-shooting percentage (TS). The league average TS going into Friday’s games was 57.9%.
Kuminga Jonathan
Twenty-two points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal, one turnover, two fouls, nine-for-11 shooting, one three-pointer, three free throws, 89.3% TS, and +9
This year, the rotation has been a major talking point in Warriorsland, and it won’t go away. Because it is quite evident that Jonathan Kuminga must remain in the starting lineup.
Since Kuminga took the place of the suspended Green rather than the struggling Wiggins, he will likely start for the foreseeable future and won’t be replaced if Wiggins goes back to his old habits. But Steve Kerr will have to make a decision once Green gets back.
Whenever he is available, Draymond is a lock to start first. Is it possible for Kerr to play Looney in addition to Kuminga and Green given their respective much better three-point shooting stats? Do the Dubs play small-ball and lack a genuine center of gravity? What happens if Dario Šarić replaces Looney in the starting lineup?
I’m not sure what the response is. All I know is that Kuminga’s intensity, talent, and athleticism make him an indispensible addition to this roster. He has shot 36 for 57 from the field and scored 16.6 points per game over the previous seven games. He has been a force on the glass and on defense, and in the previous six games, he has only committed one turnover.
His growth and ability to be a key player in the upcoming years depend heavily on the amount of minutes he plays. What’s more, they are essential to winning games.
Looney Kevon
5 points, 5 rebounds, 2 fouls, 2 for 3 shooting, 1 for 1 free throw, 72.7% TS, and +1 in 11 minutes.
Though technically Looney is still the starting center, you might argue that he is currently the third option. That is more of a criticism of the guys surrounding him than it is of him. Considering that Golden State’s veterans have struggled and the team’s core appears noticeably older this year, Šarić’s floor stretching and Trayce Jackson-Davis’ hyper-athleticism have been significantly more crucial than Looney’s methodical dribbling beneath the basket.
However, I have a feeling he’ll still be a major player in a few games this year.
Curry Steph
In 27 minutes, 30 points were scored, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 9 of 18 shots, 8 of 13 threes, 4 of 5 free throws, 74.3% shooting percentage, and -1 turnover
Curry makes two noteworthy notes.
He didn’t play in the fourth quarter at all, to start. The Warriors need more of it if they are to succeed where they are heading. Even if you claim that winning is the only thing that counts, there are other factors to consider. The Warriors’ greatest postseason runs have come from players who were rested from cracking jokes during blowouts rather than striving to win every game.
Secondly, his plus/minus was negative. It’s not intended as a jab at Curry. It serves as a reminder of what makes this Warriors squad so successful in comparison to previous iterations: winning the non-Steph minutes. Curry posted a negative plus/minus for the sixth time this season; only three times in the previous campaign did the Warriors come out on top.
Moreover, Curry looked really well, which is something that should be mentioned.
Bonus after the game: Top scorer on the squad.
The Klay Thompson
20 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 8 of 17 shots, 4 of 10 threes, 58.8% TS, and +7 in 27 minutes.
The fact that the Warriors’ younger players have come up and that they are beginning to gradually address the turnover issue are the main reasons why they have been playing better.
However, don’t ignore Klay. Is he performing at an All-Star level? No. But is he performing like a league-caliber weapon who is a starting guard better than most? Indeed.
Since being benched late in the game during a fierce matchup with the Phoenix Suns, Thompson has scored at least 20 points in each of the last five games. He has scored 25.2 points a game on average and made 27 of 56 (48.2%) three-pointers throughout that period.
That’s a major factor in the Dubs’ current success.
Podziemski Brandin
Ten points, seven rebounds, five assists, one steal, one turnover, two fouls, 28 minutes, three for nine, two for five, two for two free throws, 50.6% TS, and sixteen
Friday quickly altered for little Podz. Because of the back issue he had on Tuesday, he was dubious about starting the day. Even while I would be overjoyed to see Wiggins reclaim his All-Star magic, I must confess that a small part of me felt sorry for Podziemski in case he lost the starting position he had just secured to Wiggins.
Then, in a dramatic turn of events, Podziemski showed he was well enough to play, while Wiggins was unwell and was unable to suit up.
Although Podziemski’s performance wasn’t the most dynamic we’ve seen him in, he did maintain an incredibly positive trend: the team just plays better with him on the court, and he surprisingly manages to avoid all the rookie blunders that make it so difficult for inexperienced prospects to play when attempting to win games.
Along with my dad, I watched this game. This was his first time watching a Warriors game this year, and he doesn’t keep up with the team very closely. “Is that guy young? ” He seems young,” she said, observing the excitement displayed.
Even yet, the rebounding is still a little shocking, given that all of the pre-draft predictions indicated he would struggle to maintain his athleticism at this level. He needs a couple more games to move up to third place on the Warriors’ all-time rebound list.
Amazing.
Dario Šarić
13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 foul, 5-for-11 shooting, 1-for-4 three-pointers, 2-for-2 free throws, 54.7% TS, +17 were all recorded in 20 minutes.
Is it too soon to begin wondering exactly how the hell the Warriors will replace Šarić’s output when he consistently turns his excellent 2023–24 campaign into a huge pay raise that is well deserved?
Usman Garuba
0 points, 1 assist, 0-for-1 on the field, 0.0% TS, and -4 in 2 minutes
Garuba will need some time to adjust to this season. The third-year center, who was selected with the 23rd overall choice in 2021, participated in 75 games for the Houston Rockets the previous season; nevertheless, this was his first season with the Dubs, and it occurred during garbage time.
In the G League, he is receiving crucial development time on a two-way deal. You shouldn’t discount him as a potential star player for the Warriors since he possesses an abundance of talents. But for the most part, not one day this season.
Jackson-Davis Trayce
25 minutes, 5 for 7 shots, 71.4% TS, +10, 10 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover, and 2 fouls
TJD, the No. 57 selection in the draft a few months prior, was the top center for the Dubs for the third straight game. Even this is a surprise to me since I thought he would be about as NBA-ready a second-round choice could be.
He has shot 16-for-23 from the floor and finished with 34 points and 36 rebounds in the previous three games. The fact that he has only committed four mistakes and seven fouls in 72 minutes throughout those three games may be the most noteworthy. Similar to Podziemski, he is virtually totally avoiding leaving a bad impression on the game in addition to leaving a favorable one.
He issues a lob threat to the Dubs. He’s becoming better at using his keen defensive instincts without drawing a foul. His combination of length, agility, and enthusiasm is captivating.
It’s not difficult to picture a scenario in which he plays more than thirty minutes a night and is the starting center for the Warriors Soon.
Gui Santos
Six minutes, seven points, two rebounds, one foul, two of three shots, one of two threes, two of two free throws, 90.2% TS, and –12
I’m not sure how much information can be obtained in a few minutes at trash time. Even so, Santos looked really good in these few minutes. He plays the court with such fluidity, and I’m not just saying that because of his hair. Not to mention, he cuts and moves just where he needs to. He appears to be moving all the time, yet it’s motion that serves a purpose.
By including a significant amount of non-guaranteed money in Santos’ contract, the Warriors gave themselves a great deal of flexibility, but it appears that they intend to keep him around.
Chris Paul
Twenty-five minutes, four points, seven rebounds, ten assists, one steal, one error, two fouls, two for seven shooting, zero for three threes, zero for one free throw, 26.9% TS, +27
I want to bring you back to my original argument, which is that even with Curry’s negative plus/minus, the Warriors have already won two more games than they did the whole previous season.
Paul is the main culprit. Paul is the other factor as well. Paul is, in my opinion, the third factor as well. For this reason, CP3 is his name.
Although Basketball-Reference hasn’t updated their statistics to include Friday’s games, something startling may be found by utilizing Paul’s stats from this victory and plugging them into the league data up to Thursday:
In the whole NBA, Paul has the seventh-most assists. He ranks 130th in terms of turnovers.
This is necessary for the Warriors. desperately.
Cory Joseph
0 points, 0 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 0-for-3 capturing, 0-for-1 three-point shooting, 0.0% TS, and -7 in 14 minutes.
CoJo had an extremely unexpected run of minutes considering that neither Paul nor Curry were out or in foul trouble. I suppose he held his own. But, regrettably, it didn’t seem so nice.
Robinson Jerome
0 points, -4 minutes
Although Robinson has only appeared in two games since joining the Warriors, it was sufficient to reveal to us that, on team flights, he studies Plato, which is a fascinating information.
Moses Moody
19 minutes, 5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 fouls, 2 turnovers, 1 shot attempt, 0 for 3 threes, 3 for 4 free throws, 43.4% shooting percentage, +8.
Moody’s performance has declined recently. However, he continues to put up his best face every time. This year, he’s been considerably more aggressive, which has led to many more free throws, looks at the hoop on offense, even charges on defense.
Lester Quiñones
Six minutes, three points, three rebounds, one helper, one turnover, one foul, one for three shots, one for two threes, 50.0% TS, and -12
It’s always entertaining to witness Q in action, especially considering how highly esteemed the Warriors players and coaches find him. He had as good a chance as you can have in garbage time, and he ended Washington’s fleeting dreams of mounting a comeback with a clutch three.
Bonus after the game: Tied for the team’s worst plus/minus
The inactives on Friday are Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II, and Draymond Green.
