Questions for the Warriors’ 2nd half
It’s been an erratic, though eventful, first half of the 2020-21 season for the Warriors. Stephen Curry is playing at a near-MVP level, Draymond Green ascended to the top of the league rankings in assists while James Wiseman showed promise, got benched, was injured, and looks every part of the new kid in school.
And, after all that, the Warriors are on the fringe of the playoffs — exactly where they were expected to be after Klay Thompson tore his Achilles in November.
The second half of the season will offer the Warriors a chance to return to the playoffs and, more broadly, answer some key questions that will impact not just this season, but many seasons to come. Here are those questions.
What’s the plan for James Wiseman? — The Warriors are trying to strike a balance between developing Wiseman and making the playoffs, and both are important. Wiseman is the franchise center-inwaiting and potentially the piece that could put Golden State over the top in the future if everything comes together. Yet, the Warriors have been outscored by 77 points this season when the 19-year-old Wiseman is on the court, the worst such mark on the team. His development comes at the immediate cost of winning.
Although the Warriors aren’t realistic title contenders, making the postseason is paramount for a team that fashions itself “Spurs 2.0” and champions its culture. Whatever the excuse, that culture begins to erode if they miss the playoffs two straight seasons.
More pressure is felt by the front office and coaching staff, free agents aren’t as willing to take less money and lesser roles to play for them and that winning experience starts to come across more like Grandpa telling stories about the war. People start to question whether that culture ever existed, or if Curry, Thompson, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant were simply so good it just seemed like it did.
Wiseman’s playing time has dwindled as the Warriors found themselves jockeying for playoff position. In 16 games as a starter, he played 21.4 minutes per game. His move to the bench in January didn’t severely impact his minutes (down to 19 per game) but, since returning from a wrist injury that cost him nearly three weeks of development, his production has dipped and he’s been mostly limited to a pair of sixminute stretches in the first and third quarters. Wiseman has appeared frustrated at times.
“I know he wants to be great and he wants to do it as soon as possible,”
Curry said after Wiseman had just six points and two rebounds in 11 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Trail Blazers. “He wears his emotions on his sleeve when he’s out there, but we’ve seen those bright spots. He’ll continue to show that and at the end of the season he’ll have a body of work that shows he has an amazing impact on this team.”
That’s the hope. The Warriors need to get a better idea of whether Wiseman can contribute impactful minutes next season, when the goal becomes returning to the top of the Western Conference. This is another reason why making the playoffs is so important: It would be the ultimate stress test for Wiseman.
There were a few games where the Warriors rewarded Wiseman’s good play by extending his first-quarter stint into the second quarter. Ultimately, doing that more regularly could be the compromise. It gets him six more minutes per game, giving him around 18, with 12 being uninterrupted time to play through mistakes and growing pains largely against more harmless second units.
“You can’t just say, ‘Let’s just throw him out there for 35 minutes every night.’ That doesn’t constitute development, it just constitutes playing time,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “Finding the balance and helping him through the ups and the downs of the long season is the biggest part of that development.”
Still, Kerr acknowledged Wiseman would see more minutes. Though Wiseman started Thursday in Phoenix with several players resting, Kerr didn’t commit to him starting after the All-Star break.
“Where we are now, (Wiseman) needs to play more,” Kerr said. “We need to develop him. Over the last couple of weeks, he has not played as much as he will going forward.”
Will the Warriors make a move? — According to a league executive, trade talks are expected to ramp up closer to the March 25 deadline, and most teams are still in the process of figuring out if they are buyers or sellers. The next halfdozen games, for several teams, will be very important.
However, that may not include the Warriors. As GM Bob Myers has said, this front office is taking the long view. Any changes in the next month are likely minor and to the fringes of the roster, or with next season in mind.
Even with the limitations on twoway contracts expected to be lifted, the Warriors could be motivated to add Juan Toscano-Anderson to the 15-man roster to increase their chance of keeping him next season. Golden State could seek to move off of second-year forward Alen Smailagic and backup point guard
Brad Wanamaker (particularly if rookie Nico Mannion or Jordan Poole impress in the next couple of weeks).
The big question is: What happens with Kelly Oubre Jr.? He’s played well for them since overcoming his rough start to the season, providing shot-making, rim-running and reliable defense. Oubre will be looking to cash in this summer on his next big contract, and could end up being too expensive for the Warriors to re-sign.
If they determine that’s likely, they should consider trading him rather than losing him (and the draft pick they traded for him) for nothing. Some options could include Chicago’s Thaddeus Young, Cleveland’s Larry Nance Jr. and Washington’s Davis Bertans. Of course, New Orleans’ Lonzo Ball is still out there. The Warriors decided to draft Wiseman over LaMelo Ball in November, but maybe they could have Wiseman and a Ball brother.
Will Steph Curry get help? — Curry took Thursday night off to get some valuable rest before the All-Star break, and he’s deserved it. He is third in the league in points per game, 11th in total minutes played and, among players in the top 11 in minutes, Curry is second only to LeBron James in usage rate.
Even with Curry playing at an MVP level, the Warriors still only have the league’s 21st-ranked offense and are no better than a playin team in the Western Conference. He needs help.
Many have pointed to Wiseman as the teammate who needs to step up. As much as fans may want to see Wiseman rise up rookie power rankings, it’s unfair to ask a 19-year-old still facing questions about playing time to become a secondary scorer, particularly in an offense that has never featured a high-scoring center.
Rather, the Warriors need more from Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins, 25, is on the cusp of his prime just as the Warriors are trying to make the most of a two- or three-year championship window. A former No. 1 pick, he has the talent and experience running Minnesota’s offense. Him cranking it up from 17 points per game to 20-plus points per game, while maintaining a high level of defense, could have a similar impact to Kawhi Leonard on the Spurs circa 2013.
Of course, Wiseman could contribute a bit more, Green could be less averse to shooting and maybe a minor move at the deadline could provide a boost. But for the Warriors to elevate themselves to a topsix seed and avoid the play-in tournament, they’ll need another bonafide shot creator to emerge, and Wiggins is their best bet.