The Golden State Warriors are the gift that keeps on giving. These guys have built such a strong block together, that pretty much anybody can piggyback ride his way to a Championship there.
Proven stars, laughing stocks, unknown youngsters and aging veterans have decided to join the Golden State Warriors ever since Coach Steve Kerr made this team the strongest dynasty ever, even if it means taking a major pay cut.
Joining the Golden State Warriors pretty much guarantees you to have a huge shot at the Championship, even if you don’t have to contribute much in order to do that. Today, we’ll let you know about 10 players that would’ve never won a Championship if it wasn’t for the Dubs.
10. Zaza Pachulia
Prior to the past campaign, Zaza Pachulia had established himself as the Golden State Warriors starting big man, even though he has no true value and doesn’t excel in anything other than doing dirty plays.
Pachulia shouldn’t even be playing in the league anymore, and the Warriors didn’t need him to do anything but just go out there and hurt Kawhi Leonard, the only player that could dethrone them a couple of years ago.
9. JaVale McGee
It’s crazy to think that JaVale McGee has actually won a couple of NBA Championships. Moreover, the perennial Shaqtin’A’Fool MVP was actually a huge factor in both of the playoff runs.
McGee went from being one of the league’s favorite laughing stocks to actually contributing and even wind up outplaying Pachulia and proving that he can be a solid role player off the bench for any contender.
8. Nick Young
Yes, Nick Young, ‘Swaggy P’, has actually changed his nickname to ‘Swaggy Champ’ because of the Golden State Warriors. Young was a perfect fit for the Warriors’ offense as a reliable shooter, and he didn’t even have to try and play defense.
Young was also considered to be a clown and nobody ever took him seriously, but he was actually pretty solid when needed to step up by the Warriors, with an occasional antic or two, of course.
7. David West
After stating that he had no respect for the players that changed sides to win a Championship, David West did exactly that, first with the Spurs and then with the Golden State Warriors, where he was finally able to thrive.
West gave up a lot of money in order to go down as a Champion, and even though we feel like he could’ve contributed way more elsewhere, he had a nice role off the bench with the Warriors as their backup big man.
6. Matt Barnes
Matt Barnes’ Golden State tenure was really short, but he also was an instant fit for the team’s needs, as a consistent scorer from beyond three-point land and one of the most crafty wing stoppers in the league.
Barnes made a name for himself for being a bit of a tough guy and the kind of player nobody wanted to mess with, so you know he was instantly going to get along pretty well with Draymond Green.
5. Festus Ezeli
Festus Ezeli was actually surging as a solid backup big man, and even earned a nice deal with the Portland Trail Blazers after stepping up for the constantly injured Andrew Bogut, but that was before suffering an injury of himself.
Ezeli was a determinant factor off the bench for the Golden State Warriors as a physical presence down low, even though his offensive upside wasn’t really all the way there quite yet, to be honest.
4. Ognjen Kuzmic
If you don’t have absolutely any clue of who the hell Ognjen Kuzmic is, don’t worry, we actually had to google him as we didn’t remember him either, but yes, Ognjen Kuzmic is an NBA Champion thanks to the Golden State Warriors.
Currently playing for Real Madrid at Spain, the Serbian center was a part of the Golden State Warriors for a couple of years, but only made 37 appearances while playing just over 4 minutes a night, spending most of the time with their G-League affiliate.
3. Justin Holiday
Justin Holiday, Jrue Holiday’s brother, was actually able to win a Championship before the point guard, in something of the likes of the Payton and Eli Manning brothers, with Jrue being way more talented.
Holiday is a solid scorer and has established himself as a solid role player in the league ever since, but he didn’t play much of a part with the Warriors during their 2014-15 Championship run.
2. Brandon Rush
Brandon Rush was expected to become a deadly scorer and he showed glimpses of greatness at times as the Golden State Warriors’ backup shooting guard, but his development really stalled ever since leaving the team.
Even so, Rush was an important piece off the bench playing next to Shaun Livingston and even handled some backup point guard duties. During his second stint with the Warriors, he won the Chip in 2015.
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1. Kevin Durant
Before DeMarcus Cousins, there was Kevin Durant. Durant really earned a lot of heat when he decided to join the very same team that had whooped his butt in the playoffs, bailing on Westbrook and the Thunder.
The Warriors have made Durant even better and he’s made them way scarier, and there’s nobody that looks slightly able to dethrone them for the time being. With them, he’s won back-to-back Chips and Finals MVPs.
