The Golden State Warriors' current record is not very good, and they are still some way from qualifying for the Western Conference playoff tournament. The Warriors are currently 12th in the West, and after beating the Brooklyn Nets 109-98 on the road, they remain in 12th place with a 22-25 record.
Previously, due to the death of the assistant coach, the Warriors played about 3 fewer games than other teams, and now they are only 35 wins difference. After the win over the Brooklyn Nets, many fans called on Curry to give way like Klay Thompson.
Although Stephen Curry played 34 minutes in this game, he made 12 of 24 shots, 4 of 11 three-pointers, and 1 of 1 free throws, contributing 29 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. However, the key to the Warriors' victory. Still young. In the last game, Stephen Curry made crazy three-pointers and did not give young players a chance to show themselves, which also received a lot of criticism.
However, after Stephen Curry conceded the ball in this game, Jonathan Kuminga and Poggie both played well. Jonathan Kuminga played 33 minutes, 9-of-18, contributing 28 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks.
Jonathan Kuminga has been outstanding this season, and he has played as the future star of the Warriors. Jonathan Kuminga has scored 25+ points in six of his last nine games. The departure of the game because of six fouls in the last game also made the Warriors and Curry criticized.
As the only player with the ability to attack the basket and draw fouls, the Warriors shouldn't let Jonathan Kuminga take on too much defensive responsibility. Against the Nets, Jonathan Kuminga made 10 of 12 free throws. The Warriors shouldn't have let Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson avoid too many fouls and chose to sacrifice Jonathan Kuminga to let him do the dirty work on the defensive end.
Poger played 37 minutes in this game, and he was given more playing time due to Klay Thompson's dropout in the final quarter, and in this game, he contributed 15 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists on 6-of-14 shooting. Poger is averaging 14 points per game in his last three games7 rebounds and 73 assists.
Jonathan Kuminga and Poje have been dubbed the "Gabo" duo by many fans, and the two have been among the best young players this season. It's time for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to give way, and it's not like the Warriors don't have great young players, they just don't give them a chance.
We can see that so far in the 2023-24 season, teams like the Timberwolves, Celtics, Thunder and other teams have dominated young players. On the other hand, the Golden State Warriors also want to rely on Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to make the playoffs or win a championship.
Apparently unlikely. Draymond Green was 4-of-6 in the game, contributing 8 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 blocks. Draymond Green's recent game has not been as big as it used to be, and it has been a bit more restrained, which is a good thing for the Warriors, because they want to win more games, they can't hurt people again and cause themselves to be targeted by the league.
Klay Thompson played 29 minutes in this game, 4-of-9, 0-of-3 three-pointers, and was abandoned by the Warriors in the final minute of the final quarter, contributing 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Klay Thompson has been trying to play well so far this season and prove that he deserves a big contract with a maximum salary. Perhaps, it's time for Klay Thompson to back down and take a pay cut to renew his contract with the Warriors for a four-year, $100 million contract.
The Warriors have made a rare reduction in three-point shooting, and they have been hitting the basket as frequently as the Lakers have been. The game was 4-of-22 from three-point range, and with the exception of Stephen Curry, no player in the Golden State Warriors hit a single three-pointer. The Golden State Warriors will have to prove that they can win even without a three-point shooting.
Because the Warriors have proven one thing, no matter how good their three-point shooting is, they won't necessarily win more games. Times are changing, and the pace of the game is unpredictable. The Warriors sometimes need to selectively abandon their over-reliance on three-pointers in order to get them far.