Warriors need more than Oubre to be title contenders in 2021

Kelly Oubre is a nice pickup for the Warriors. Adding a young, intriguing talent is a move that's particularly refreshing in the wake of Klay Thompson's season-ending injury.

But Golden State is going to need to add a whole lot more than just Oubre into the fold if they want to be considered title contenders in 2021.

Oubre is a solid player and an interesting longterm prospect for Golden State. At worst, he's a competent wing — the Warriors need as many of those as they can get.

But to suggest that he can replace Thompson is lunacy. I like Oubre's game, but he barely covers a portion of Thompson's absence.

Ultimately, Golden State cannot acquire a player who would singlehandedly even come close, so they'll have to fill in for Thompson on the aggregate. The addition of Oubre is only a start to that process.

The foremost goal for the Warriors is to make up Thompson's offensive output. No one is going to shoot like Klay — Stephen Curry might be his only peer — but the Warriors still need to make up the 20 points per game Thompson steadily provides.

Before Thompson's injury, the Warriors were going to boast three 20-point scorers, with each player slotted into his ideal role. Curry was the alpha, Thompson his Splash Brother, and Andrew Wiggins was a third option who could anchor a second unit's offense and drop 30 on nights when other teams forgot about him.

It's not equivalent to the Warriors' salad days, but that's a 1-2-3 that's good enough to contend, even in the rough-and-tumble Western Conference.

But now Wiggins is the No. 2 option. That doesn't suit him — that's the same scenario that earned him a "bust" label in Minnesota.

And No. 3 is Oubre, who averaged 18 points per game last season.

(Expecting James Wiseman to be an offensive force in year one is a recipe for disappointment. Whatever he gives the Warriors on top of a JaVale McGee-like output in his rookie year is gravy.)

Is that a trifecta that's going to keep up with the Lakers? The Clippers? The Nuggets?

I doubt it.

I'm not even sure they're on the level of Oubre's old team, the Phoenix Suns, led by Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul, acquired this week in exchange for Oubre and other assets.

Again, this isn't to say that Oubre is a bad player. I really like the trade Golden State made. It's only to say that he alone is insufficient to the Warriors' needs.

Golden State needs to find a few more players of the same ilk as Oubre if they're going to get over this hump created by Thompson's absence.

The Warriors still must find a fourth scorer who would alleviate their need for Draymond Green, Wiseman, Jordan Poole, or Eric Paschall to produce a steady and career-best offensive output. Golden State still needs to add a reliable 15 point-per-game scorer. This, after effectively paying $82 million for Oubre. Easy enough, right? My understanding is that the Warriors have not yet officially applied for a $9.3 million injured player exception for Thompson, and that those are not exactly handed out at an expedient rate. It's best, for now, to file that away as a possible avenue for adding a player during the season.

The Warriors do have the taxpayer mid-level exception, worth $5.7 million for one year, and the opportunity to sign as many minimum-value-contract free agents as they want as well.

So... just find a 15 pointper-game scorer with that, right?

Oh, and it'd be nice if that player had some defensive skills, too.

Oubre is a streaky player. When he's on, he's spectacular. When he's off, he's a liability. Focus has been an issue for him throughout his five-year career.

He moves well, has a nice 3-point stroke, and a nose for the basket. In the past, though, he's played like he's in a video game — shot hunting for himself at a near-comical level.

If Golden State is asking for that in 2021, something has gone horribly wrong. Again.

On defense, he has the frame (7-foot-2 wingspan) and on-ball talent to be a viable stopper. But his 1.1 points against per defensive possession last year was no fluke. His off-ball defense is atrocious at times and far too often his man would just waltz past him one-on-one.

All of this highlights how far the Warriors have fallen without the possibility of a full-strength Thompson (which, truth be told, they did not know they had). The lack of a clear No. 2 — and a backcourt defensive ace — drops the Warriors from the ranks of title contenders to the ranks of a team merely trying to make the playoffs.

It puts even more burden on Curry. It asks Green to play like he's 25 again (he's played 10,000 game minutes since then). It forces Wiggins to reach his potential now, at this very moment, lest the Warriors not reach theirs.

And it makes Oubre — a player who would have been an exciting depth pickup a few days ago — a critical piece of the Golden State machine.

Once more: I like the Oubre trade. He's a good player with upside potential and the price is right.

But Golden State is going to need to make a few more offseason waves than just adding the Tsumami Papi to come even close to replacing the second Splash Brother.

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