The Golden State Warriors won the championship in 2022 due to them being an experienced veteran team. There is no doubt that their elite defense was on display throughout the entirety of the 2022 playoffs.
However, the Golden State Warriors have had a slow start to the 2022-23 season, and they are 3-6 to start the year. Their most recent loss was to the Orlando Magic, and it’s clear that something must change for the team to succeed.
After the game against the Magic, Draymond Green said bluntly that the Golden State Warriors young players “have to get better”, adding that it’s “definitely some of our young guys’ fault” that the Warriors lost.
Draymond Green: “It’s definitely some of our young guys’ fault, but it’s not more their fault than our fault.”
“I’m not taking fault away from them. They have to get better.”
— C.J. Holmes (@HolmesScribe) November 4, 2022
Draymond Green: “It’s definitely some of our young guys’ fault, but it’s not more their fault than our fault.” “I’m not taking fault away from them. They have to get better.”
The development of young players takes time, and there will likely be some growing pains in the process. The Golden State Warriors’ young players have definitely struggled to start the year as well, often making defensive mistakes.
Hopefully, we see the Warriors’ young players improve going forward. James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody all have the potential to become solid NBA players, and hopefully, they are able to reach that level.
The Warriors Need James Wiseman Or Jonathan Kuminga To Break Out
The Golden State Warriors lost some key players from their 2022 championship squad in free agency, with Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II both leaving the team for bigger paydays elsewhere. Payton’s defense was notably key for the team when limiting opposing guards like Ja Morant.
As such, the Golden State Warriors need their young players to improve and become playoff-level rotation pieces. In fact, an NBA scout has claimed that the Warriors need James Wiseman or Jonathan Kuminga to break out for the team to get back to the Finals.
“For the Warriors to be back in the Finals, Wiseman or Kuminga has to have a Jordan Poole year, has to break out,” the scout said. “Neither one of them played college basketball and they’ve been thrown into the best team in the NBA. A group of players who all know how to play and cut and are smart.”
Hopefully, we see James Wiseman or Jonathan Kuminga shine for the Warriors this year. While it might take some time for the two to be good consistently, the end result may be worth it for the Warriors.
It remains to be seen how well the Golden State Warriors end up doing this year. There’s still time to turn their season around and win another championship, and they can start doing that by getting a win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
