Key takeaways
-
Buddy Hield is an underrated scorer who should excel in Golden State.
-
With a crowded depth chart, could Draymond Green be moved to the bench?
-
The Warriors’ improving supporting cast could lead them to win more games this season.
THE
Golden State Warriorsrevamped their supporting cast around
this offseason.
After 13 years with the franchise,
left in free agency, signing a three-year, $50 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks.
The five-time All-Star struggled to reach an agreement with the Warriors. In 2023, he turned down a two-year extension worth $48 million, according to Zach Harper and Shams Charania of The Athletic.
After a tumultuous 2023-24 season, Thompson returned to the Warriors on a two-year, $40 million offer, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Kendra AndrewsThis time the Warriors were not interested.
Thompson’s team made one final offer to the Warriors, a two-year deal worth about $20 million per season, sources said. The response was the same as it has been for nearly a year: We just can’t do it yet.
Veteran
CP3 was released after one season to free up salary cap space. At 39, CP3 is not in his NBA prime, but he was a valuable playmaker off the bench, averaging 6.8 assists per game.
The Warriors used their newfound flexibility to improve their depth. They signed the sharpshooter
Buddy Hield
to a four-year contract worth $37.8 million.
Kyle Anderson
signed a three-year, $27 million contract after a successful campaign with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
De’Anthony Melton
will take over as backup point guard by signing a one-year, $12 million contract.
So how will it happen? The new look warriors What will the score be in a crowded Western Conference? Here are three bold predictions.
Buddy Hield will average 20+ PPG
There’s a new “Splash Buddy” in the Bay
Since 2016, here are the NBA leaders in three-pointers made:
-
Stephen Curry – 2,154
-
Buddy Hield – 1924
Now, Curry and Hield are teammates.
Hield has consistently made a high number of three-pointers with elite efficiency, making 40.0 percent of his three-pointers over his career.
Hield also has incredible shooting range. In college, he became known at Oklahoma for his deep, high-scoring three-pointers. That carried over into his NBA career.
Hield isn’t recognized enough as a scorer, in general. He can score in a variety of ways, including finishing around the rim. Last season, he converted 58.1 percent of his field goal attempts within 10 feet of the basket.
In 2018-19, Hield averaged a career-high 20.7 points per game for the Cardinals.
Sacramento KingsFrom 2018 to 2023, he averaged 15 or more points per game for five consecutive seasons.
Last year, he took on a more complementary role, averaging 12.1 points per game. He saw his playing time decrease as
Indiana Pacershad a lot of depth. He was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he was chosen as a role player.
The Warriors will need Hield’s offense after losing Thompson. He can be a microwave scorer for them as a backup and potentially play the same role
Jordan Poole
I had some a few seasons ago.
Given the opportunity, Hield has proven he can score 20+ points per game in the past. Now he’ll have the luxury of sharing the court with Curry.
Draymond Green will ultimately be benched
Veteran to move to second unit
This is a bold prediction.
Last season, head coach Steve Kerr benched Thompson in favor of
Brandin Podziemski
Don’t be surprised to see a similar situation with Green this season.
There’s no way Green won’t start the year in the starting five, but the frontcourt rotation will be very crowded.
,
Jonathan Kuminga
And
Trayce Jackson-Davis
all have good arguments to start with.
Wiggins was an All-Star in 2022, and his 3-and-D skills make him an ideal fit in lineups. Kuminga was the seventh overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft. He’s just 21 years old, and is averaging a career-high 16.1 points and 4.8 rebounds. The Warriors must continue to give him opportunities develop.
|
Jonathan Kuminga Stats – 2023-24 Season |
|
|---|---|
|
Category |
Statistics |
|
PPG |
16.1 |
|
Role play |
4.8 |
|
%FG |
52.9% |
Finally, Jackson-Davis started 16 games as a rookie last season, averaging 11.3 points and 7.6 rebounds. He’s a more traditional center than Green.
Green’s unique combination of defense and playmaking still makes him a valuable part of Kerr’s rotation, but he might simply be a better fit coming off the bench.
Warriors will win more games this season
Improved depth and internal development should lead to more wins
In 2023-24, the Warriors finished with a 46-36 record.
ESPN predicts the Warriors will lose one game this season, finishing with a 45-37 record.
The Warriors, eliminated in the play-in tournament last season, have signed several players to soften the blow of losing Thompson, but it may not be enough to get Stephen Curry and company back to the playoffs.
This opinion is at best debatable. On paper, the Warriors’ roster is better this season.
Their projected second unit consists of Melton, Hield, Anderson, Kuminga and Jackson-Davis. This has the potential to legitimately be the best bench in the league.
Additionally, younger players like Kuminga, Jackson-Davis and Podziemski have had more time to develop. They should make leaps in their development this year.
Individually, Kuminga and Wiggins are wild cards with All-Star potential.
The Warriors’ only major loss this offseason was Thompson, who had a rough 2023-24 campaign. In fact, the Warriors were 4.5 points worse per 100 possessions with Thompson on the court last season, according to Cleaning the window.
That result puts him in the 29th percentile of the NBA and is the worst season of his career, so it’s hard to put too much stock in Thompson’s departure that could affect the Warriors this season.
With all that considered, the Warriors should be able to win one or two more games in 2024-25.
All statistics courtesy of Statmuse, NBA, Cleaning the windowAnd Basketball Reference.
