Warriors end preseason on strong note thanks to Klay’s hot shooting

Capping off an eventful summer and preseason, the Warriors edged out a 119-112 victory against the Denver Nuggets Friday night.

The Warriors’ offense shined once again as they maintained a lead for most of the game until the fourth quarter, when the Nuggets cut their deficit to two. The Warriors went on a 7-0 run late in the fourth, giving enough cushion for the victory, thanks to Klay Thompson. Continuing his hot preseason shooting, Thompson led all scorers with 35 points on 13 of 26 shots.

Klay looked comfortable on the floor, hitting a variety of pull-up or midrange jumpers, three 3-pointers and making confident drives to the basket. It’s looking as if coach Steve Kerr has no qualms about giving Klay the ball in clutch situations, as he hit a three and a layup in the fourth to prevent a Nuggets comeback.

Klay’s offensive repertoire and poise has grown exponentially since his rookie year. He has evolved from a spot-up shooter who took bad shots to a great two-way player who has the ability to score from almost anywhere on the court. We won’t have to worry about seeing him frustratingly post up on smaller defenders like last season, as Kerr has run very limited isolation plays. If Klay remains consistent offensively, he can make a case for the All-Star game as well as the title for the best shooting guard. So far, Kerr has managed to utilize both Splash Brothers very effectively on offense so Warriors fans can only salivate on what is to come.

Besides Klay’s outstanding performance, the Warriors played very well as a team overall. They quickly dispelled any bad tendencies from their 27 turnover game on Tuesday and gave up the ball only 12 times on Friday. They maintained their fluidity on offense as they racked up 29 assists on 34 field goals.

Stephen Curry contributed 17 points and 11 assists while Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala added eight and assists, respectively. Kerr had no problem giving Curry, Klay and Bogut heavy playing time as they all played 30+ minutes including minutes in the fourth quarter. For those who were wondering if Kerr could revamp the entire offense successfully, the evidence is right before our eyes. While it was another preseason game with the opponent missing two starters, the Warriors displayed what they could do with ball movement.

Although the Nuggets shot at a 50 percent clip, Kerr has kept the defensive intensity that Mark Jackson instilled but has found ways to use his players strengths much more efficiently. During the last two seasons, we rarely got to see Bogut have any significant impact on offense save the occasionally alley-oop or putback. This preseason however, we have seen Bogut much more involved on the offensive end as Kerr has made use of his brilliant passing ability (see video below for an example).

While not perfect, the Warriors had a very promising preseason that should be an omen of great things to come if everyone remains relatively healthy.

Harrison Barnes‘ lack of production and impact is slightly concerning. Although he is entering his third year, he still doesn’t look as comfortable on the floor as Draymond Green or even Nemanja Nedovic. His role on the team has been switched around every season so it’s still a little too early to write him off. Hopefully Kerr will find some way to boost his confidence.

On a side note, Justin Holiday deservingly made the final roster cut and may be able to provide scoring off the bench. Basketball fans can rejoice as the season finally begins this coming Tuesday, with the Warriors playing the Kings in Sacramento on Wednesday.