The Golden State Warriors suffered the worst news of the off-season when Klay Thompson suffered yet another season-ending injury. His partnership with Stephen Curry would have made the best backcourt in the NBA, and Curry will have to manage the guard position without his sharpshooting partner.
The absence of Klay Thompson is a major loss, but the Golden State Warriors have done an admirable job in remaining competitive. Their roster is still very strong because of some key factors, and they will be a massive threat to the NBA championship in 2021.
The opening night result against the Nets might be eye-opening because the Warriors looked outmatched without Klay Thompson on the floor. Despite the heavy loss, the Warriors have some big wins including a beatdown of the Portland Trail Blazers where Stephen Curry went off for 62 points and 8 made threes. Golden State are a dark horse threat in the West and can shock everyone to make the Western Conference Semifinals at the least.
Here are the 5 main reasons why the Golden State Warriors will rebound after Klay Thompson’s injury and be a factor in the West this season.
5. The Warriors Made The Best Decision With The No.2 Overall Pick
The Golden State Warriors drafted potential All-Star James Wiseman, which will turn out to be the best decision that they made. The Timberwolves selected Anthony Edwards with the No.1 overall pick, leaving the next-best alternative for the Warriors. LaMeo Ball might have been enticing, but Wiseman will be one of the best draft choices the Warriors made in their franchise history.
The Warriors have a history of selecting great talent in the draft; Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green the obvious examples. Wiseman, the 7 foot center from Memphis, has the potential to be a legitimate star in the NBA. He averaged 19.7 PPG and 10.7 RPG in college and has the skills to play a pivotal role with the Warriors. Wiseman’s partnership with Draymond Green will make him a better player on both ends of the floor, and he is already a very talented offensive player. The sky is the limit for Wiseman, and he will complete a very strong lineup with the Warriors.
4. The Warriors Depth Can Be Deadly
The Golden State Warriors trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green get all the credit, and for good reason. They are the best players on the team and do the most work on both ends of the floor for the team. But role players are key in the Golden State system, as the likes of Andre Iguodala and even Andrew Bogut have shown in the past. This season, their depth cannot be ignored and will be a major factor in the Warriors’ push to the NBA Finals.
Andrew Wiggins is still on the roster and is a very good 2-way player. He hasn’t reached the All-Star potential many expected of him, but he averaged 19.4 PPG last season. He is a great replacement for Klay Thompson because he can defend and score on the break. He isn’t as good of a shooter as Klay, but he can replace the scoring in his own way. Eric Paschall had a great season last year by averaging 13.9 PPG and will continue his growth. Rookie James Wiseman will be in the running for Rookie of the Year, and Kelly Oubre Jr. was quietly one of the best acquisitions so far. Oubre Jr averaged 18.7 PPG and 6.4 RPG last year and will be a major bench piece for Golden State this season.
3. Draymond Green Is Back Healthy To Support Stephen Curry
Draymond Green missed the first few games of the season for the Warriors, and they looked like a very inferior team without him. Golden State lacked toughness, grit, and intensity which Green brings every single night. Without Green, Golden State went 2-3 over 5 games and looked as if the playoffs were out of the question even with Curry’s heroics.
But Green came back against the Trail Blazers, and his size and defense was a factor even if he only managed a single point in 28 minutes of play. Curry’s offense is enough to carry Golden State on one end, but Green’s presence as a leader and enforcer has always been invaluable for the Warriors franchise. Green, when healthy, is a 3-time All-Star and 5-time All-NBA performer who will be hungry to prove his worth after being ridiculed for averaging “triple-singles” last season.
2. The Championship Core Is Still Intact
The Golden State Warriors did a fantastic job of not blowing their roster up after their best player, Kevin Durant, left them in free agency to go to Brooklyn. The Warriors believe in their original big three and their excellent head coach. Even without Klay Thompson this season, the Warriors have 3 of the 4 championship pieces well intact.
Steve Kerr is already an iconic coach by taking what former coach Mark Jackson created and bolstering the Golden State offense tremendously. Kerr built a system off of ball movement, unselfishness, and three-point shooting that every team has copied right now. Draymond Green, a former Defensive Player of the Year, is also there to do all the dirty work and support the superstar Stephen Curry with leading the team. This leads to the main reason why the Warriors can recover from Klay’s injury and the massive opening day loss to be a factor in the West.
1. Stephen Curry Is The Best Point Guard And Shooter In The NBA
People seem to forget just how dominant Stephen Curry can be. The first-ever unanimous MVP Award winner can single-handedly turn games in his team’s favor due to his unbelievable marksmanship. Just two years ago Stephen Curry averaged 27.3 PPG on 43.7% shooting from three, and his career averages stand at 23.5 PPG on 43.5% shooting. Curry is still one of the top 5 players in the NBA when healthy, and he will be on a mission this season.
Stephen Curry has seen the likes of Damian Lillard dominate the point guard position with deep range shooting and scoring prowess, and Curry will be hungry to remind everyone he is the best shooter ever. The NBA game has changed because of Stephen Curry and he will put forth an MVP season that will be enough for the Warriors to capture one of the top 5 seeds in the Western Conference.
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