Warriors press on despite setbacks
In the week since Klay Thompson’s seasonending injury, the Warriors have positioned themselves to at least have a chance to vie for homecourt advantage in the playoffs this season.
It’s a far cry from legitimate title contention, but perhaps a bestcase scenario, given that Thompson stares down a nine to 12month recovery after undergoing surgery Wednesday on his torn right Achilles tendon.
General manager Bob Myers has worked relentless hours to capitalize on the team’s assets, drafting James Wiseman at No. 2, trading for Kelly Oubre Jr., and signing free agents Brad Wanamaker and Kent Bazemore. With one or two additions still expected, the Warriors are poised to have the highest payroll in NBA history at more than $300 million including the luxurytax bill.
This might seem exorbitant for a team that, at best, figures to challenge for the No. 4 seed in a loaded Western Conference. The coronavirus pandem
ic has forced franchises throughout the league to take a hard look at their finances, and the Warriors are no exception.
But even with fans not expected at Chase Center at least at the start of the season, Golden State recognized that, after injuries derailed last season and left it with an NBAworst 1550 record, it didn’t have the luxury of another season focused on player development. The strongest of team cultures couldn’t withstand that much losing.
By using their $17.2 million trade exception to absorb Oubre’s $14.4 million salary for 202021 and bring in a palatable — albeit imperfect — replacement for Thompson, the Warriors ensured that they’ll give their fans something worth watching this season. Here are Golden State’s five most pressing questions after a frenzied week of roster building:
What’s the 202021 Warriors’ style of play?
To get the most out of this team, head coach Steve Kerr must play to his personnel’s strengths. That means that, whenever Golden State corrals a defensive rebound this season, it should try to ratchet up the tempo.
During their three seasons with Kevin Durant (201619), the Warriors had the ultimate bailout — a 6foot10 forward who could break down defenders oneonone and drill fadeaway jumpers whenever the offense hit a snag. Last season, with Durant in Brooklyn and Thompson and Stephen Curry injured, Golden State struggled to adjust and had a tough time channeling its signature speed.
Those lotterybound Warriors finished eighthtolast in the NBA in pace. But with Oubre, Wiseman, Wanamaker, Bazemore and Andrew Wiggins in the fold, Golden State now boasts all the makings of a strong transition team.
Oubre, who ranked 15th in the league last season with 282 transition points, excels at getting out on fast breaks and throwing down highlightworthy dunks. Wanamaker and Bazemore were also acquired, at least in part, because they can speed up the offense and find driving lanes.
Wiseman figures to slide into a role as a rimrunner, and Wiggins is similar to Oubre — a versatile wing who’s at his best in transition. With Curry and Draymond Green initiating the offense, the Warriors might want to go faster than they did even before Durant’s arrival, seizing any fastbreak opportunity.
The Raptors led the NBA last season by being in transition on 21.6% of their possessions. To become a bona fide threat in the West, the Warriors probably would need to eclipse that number. There simply isn’t anything else in which this iteration of Golden State has a distinct advantage over the competition.
Will the defense be good enough?
History suggests that, to have even a darkhorse shot at contention, a team must own a defensive rating that ranks among the top half of the league. After finishing fifthworst in the NBA last season in that category, the Warriors have plenty of work in front of them.
Oubre, Bazemore and Wanamaker possess enough size and lateral quickness to guard multiple positions, but none of them is going to scare opponents’ top scorers. That leaves Green as the Warriors’ only proven highlevel defender, which, given that franchises’ top options tend to be wings these days, is not necessarily ideal.
Though Green and Wiseman are wellsuited to anchor the interior, Golden State needs someone to help replace the defensive void along the perimeter left by Thompson and Andre Iguodala. Wiggins, once tabbed by FiveThirtyEight.com as the NBA’s “Least Defensive Player,” actually might be the Warriors’ best option against such highvolume scorers as James Harden and Devin Booker.
In 12 games with Golden State last season, Wiggins showed a willingness for making life difficult on AllStarcaliber wings. The question now is whether he can be a consistent stopper. Barring another defensiveoriented addition to the Warriors’ roster, Wiggins might have little choice.
Will the Warriors still thrive from 3point range?
Part of what makes Thompson so effective is that he doesn’t see an open driving lane and automatically attack the rim. Arguably the secondbest shooter in NBA history behind Curry, Thompson hit 51 transition 3pointers in his last active season. Giving up those types of points takes an emotional toll on any defense.
Thompson’s primary replacements, Oubre and Wiggins, are only adequate shooters for their position. Though Oubre was right at the league average with a careerbest 3point percentage of 35.2 last season, Wiggins shot 33.2% from beyond the arc.
To have a chance at homecourt advantage in the playoffs, the Warriors probably will need both Oubre and Wiggins to shoot closer to 36% from 3point range. Golden State’s only player to shoot better than the league average from deep last season was Damion Lee, who, on 4.9 3point attempts per game, shot 35.6%.
The additions of Wanamaker (36.3% on 3pointers last season) and Bazemore (38.4% on 3pointers in 25 games with the Kings last season), as well as the return of a healthy Curry, should help the Warriors from beyond the arc. But this is a team that considers 3point shooting a key part of its identity, and it’s not trying to change that with Thompson out again.
The Warriors’ “death lineup” of Curry, Thompson,
Iguodala, Durant and Green was a driving force behind its most recent championship teams. When a highstakes game was on the line, Kerr could roll out perhaps the most daunting fiveman unit in NBA history.
But with Thompson sidelined and Durant and Iguodala gone, Kerr might have to get more creative this season. Odds are that Curry, Oubre, Wiggins and Green will start and close games. But that fifth spot is up for grabs, with Kerr potentially changing it night to night based on matchups.
The starting center job likely will be between Wiseman and Marquese Chriss, with Wiseman going into training camp with a slight edge. But in crunch time, Kerr could go with Eric Paschall at power forward and Green at center in a smallball lineup. It’s also possible that, if Kerr needs stops, he’ll plug in Kevon Looney down the stretch.
What’s next?
The Warriors have 14 players in line to make the 15man roster, with rookie secondround pick Nico Mannion expected to take one of the team’s two twoway contracts. Mychal Mulder and Juan ToscanoAnderson, both of whom showed potential with Golden State toward the end of last season, also might deserve a shot at a guaranteed deal for 202021.
But should the Warriors decide to use their final 15manroster spot on someone else, they have $3.5 million remaining on the midlevel exception and the $9.3 million disabledplayer exception to bring in another player. Their problem is that no one left in free agency makes obvious sense.
The Warriors could use another perimeter defender or floorspacing big man, but their best option to get one might be on the buyout market or at the trade deadline. Odds are that Golden State will wait until midseason to use its DPE, which doesn’t expire until April 19.