Warriors notes at the All-Star break

A (rising) Star is born!

By Christian Liliedahl-Allen

Twitter: @ctrainstation

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Here are some of my thoughts on the Warriors season so far:

I’m definitely taking credit for my prediction that the Andrew Wiggins narrative would change drastically after playing with the Dubs. I mean, C-Train is definitely going to toot his own horn by linking an article I wrote YEARS AGO:

Back to School : Golden State Warriors Style

In this article, I not only state that the Dubs culture would drastically help ground Wiggins in a stable environment, but also predict that his narrative would change after playing with Steph and Dray. REMEMBER THIS ARTICLE FOR MY NEXT STORY.

I have been impresed by Wiggins play, but honestly, if you have been following me you would know that I predicted much of his improved play.

Here’s how Wiggins can improve even more with the Dubs:

• Unless it is for a wide open jump shot, Wiggins is best utilized(on offense) in movement; you have to force the guy to move. Wiggins settles for step back fade away jumpers far too often. He’s good finishing at the rim when given the ball in motion (like off a cut or slip screen action); he has to almost be forced on this, though. Wiggins is not the type of player that is going to consistently drive; he settles far too often. The solution to this is to have him rim run from the baseline more, as well as cut off ball from the wing; this will put him in position to just react instinctually at the rim on offense, something he is surprisingly good at! He can still catch and shoot, though. I have no problem with that, as he’s 40% plus from beyond the arc this year.

Look at the very first play. Steph slightly leads Wiggins on a baseline pass. Wiggins’ instinct in motion did the rest.

I hope Wiggins enjoys and embraces this season. The NBA is always evolving, and that includes change; I hope that All-Star Wiggins ends this season and Playoffs on a high note, because he deserves it through his play on the Warriors.

Here are some quick thoughts on James Wiseman:

• He cannot be depended on to give the Warriors meaningful minutes this year. I want him to be the guy in the middle, but to expect him to come back from what turned out to be a substantial knee issue and compete in a Playoff atmosphere is unrealistic.
• It scares me that he put on upper body weight after a knee injury. Wiseman stated that he had gained 10–15 pounds after meniscus surgery. I am not a doctor, and I do understand that most of the weight was muscle. Nevertheless, the meniscus cusions your knee from weight, and he put MORE weight on after surgery…this just gives me nightmares of Festus Ezeli and Greg Oden.
• I really don’t like how the ball stops with Wiseman on offense. This is actually the greatest concern I have with James Wiseman. On a team with two of the best scorers in NBA history (Splash Brothers) and playing for a coach who’s offense absolutely depends on ball and player movement, Wiseman is found wanting in both areas. Often last year when he would get the ball, the Dubs offense became slow and stagnent. Wiseman would be unable to convert a 1 on 1 (sometimes 1 on 2) attempts because defenses could key in on him, knowing that there was no way he was going to pass the ball. I get that he would ideally be more of a finisher on the end of lobs or even kick outs, but what scares me is that teams will funnel the ball to him defensively, and that he won’t be to make the right decision.
• Steve Kerr has never played a starting center more than 23 MPG. This is a serious question: Even if James Wiseman turns into an amazing player, will coach Steve Kerr play him ample minutes that is worth the huge investment that they have in him?
• For a big man, Wiseman goes to ground a whole lot; at over seven feet tall, that’s a long way. I hope he is able to stay on his feet a bit more.
• I think that Wiseman has an incredibly high floor because he is a good shooter and ridiculously athletic; those two things alone will keep one in the league for a long time, as long as he can stay healthy. If he can continue to work as hard as staff and players contend that he works, things should eventually consistently click for him on a high level. If that happens, look out!

Otto Porter Jr. is a natural fit for Dubs at the 3/4 position. He can play defense, hit the three, and rebound. I would love the Warriors to lock him down to a multi-year contract in the offseason.

Kevon Looney is one of the true glue guys and an unsung hero for this squad. He has surprisingly quick hands, great positioning on defense, and has the knack when it comes to rebounding. I hope he is signed to a long-term deal in the offseason.

Jonathan Kuminga is the absolute truth. One thing I really love about him is that when things get tough, he gets tougher. Kuminga has a great motor, and is one of the rare players in the league with the potential to defend positions 1 through 5 at the highest level. He is already mitigating his fouling, and has as much potential as almost any young player in the league. I am proud of Kerr for playing him and not giving away precious minutes to players like JTA.

Check out the play(s) starting at the 1:05 mark in the video above. Kuminga alters/blocks THT’s shot, and then races down the floor beating Wiggins (Who’s mom was an Olympic sprinter… WHO’S MOM WAS AN OLYMPIC SPRINTER!) for a dynnamic left handed layup. Kuminga is learning at a ridiculously fast pace; his ability to guard the pick and roll is a joy to watch.

Bottom line: Kuminga is a super stat sheet stuffer, and I think that his ability and potential force Kerr’s hand when it comes to giving him playing time. I love it. Kuminga, Dray, Klay and Steph are the untouchables on the Warriors, in my opinion.

Poole’s lack of defense has me like Draymond every other game!

I like Jordan Poole’s game, but I don’t love it. He is young and is said to be an incredibly hard worker; you can see his hard work paying off in games and how much he has improved. Already one of the best free throw shooters in the NBA, you would love to see Poole get to the line at a higher clip (like, 5 FTA’s a game). Despite being a good shooter, his 3 point percentage is low 30's. Not great.

His low 3 point percentage combined with his not- so- amazing defense are two reasons we could see Poole dangled in the offseason should the Warriors feel like they don’t want to commit to him long term. Does Poole do enough on the court (as a complete player) to justify the faith the Warriors have put in him? I like Poole( I like him a lot) but I don’t love Poole. His defense and lack of consistency on offense makes me slightly more wary of him than most of DubNation appear to be. I’ll put this out there: I think Moses Moody is a better fit on the Warriors than Jordan Poole. MORE ON THIS NEXT ARTICLE.

I respectfully disagree with DLee, Chiozza, and Bjelica’s respective places on the squad. The only reason that JTA gets a pass is because of his defense.

Quinndary Weatherspoon

• Those three players listed above, in my opinion, are defensive liabilites. If they play in the playoffs, I believe the Dubs could be in trouble. I get it, I get it, Lee is part of the Curry family, and Bjelica is a very talented big; they are just very poor defenders. I would have loved for the Dubs to have ditched Lee for Goran Dragic (who just went to the Nets). Hear me out on this thinking; in my opinion, even Quinndary Weatherspoon is more valuable than DLee on this iteration of the Warriors because of his defensive ability. Dump Lee, gain Dragic (who still has something left in the tank and is a proven vet) and you STILL have QW on a two-way…

I think that JTA is in no man’s land with regards to position. He doesn’t really have the strength or height to bang inside, but he doesn’t offer amazing shooting (30% 3 pt). He is tough, durable, and a local legend, but I am usure of how he fits as a rotation player on a contending team.

Speaking of fit, I definitely see a long term fit for GP2. On offense, he can keep defenses relatively honest with his three point shot, and is a menace on the offensive boards and finishing with his baseline cutting ability. He is even dangerous rim running on the pick and roll in the big man position. Defensively is where GP2 shines, though. He is truly a special defender; there’s not much he can’t do. I love the pressure he applies as a primary ball defender; I don’t think it gets much better than him (regarding on ball D), and I think Kerr needs to utilize this tactic more.

General Manager Bob Myers has done a great job with this roster. Second in the West and generally healthy, the Warriors are contenders for the foreseeable future (even in the ever-changing NBA). With the solid draft choices of Poole, Kuminga, Moody and Wiseman, the Warriors current long term depth looks amazing. I do question if the Dubs could do better than Chiozza, Damion Lee and Bjelica (and to an extent JTA), but all of those players really seem to add to the culture and overall positive team dynamic. I get that the Dubs are over the cap and have to pay tons of luxery tax, but a player like Patty Mills (who was signed to the Nets MLE) could have put the Warriors over the top if they had nabbed him wit their respective MLE. The Warriors still have their MLE, and we will see if they will add a buyout before the season ends. The Dubs are in the repeater tax, I just don’t care. When I say I don’t care, I don’t think you should, either. Joe Lacob’s investment is solid; he bought the team for aroud 300 million and it’s worth well over 4 BILLION now. A hundred million in taxes is nothing compared to the team appreciated; plus improving the team improves the Warriors overall value. The Warriors let Oubre go for nothing (wasting his salary slot) AND didn’t use their MLE; that honestly rubs me the wrong way. Have you been to Chase Center? I have. That place prints money. Period. I would love for Myers to start thinking in billions instead of millions.

Here’s an example of how I think his thought process should be: If a Curry-led Dubs squad can help to get Wiggins into All-Star form, how dynamic could he be with a Jason Tatum?

Next article (in the coming days) is more about the future of the Warriors; where can they go from here?

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