The Golden State Warriors are relying on their young core to step up.
In shocking fashion, the Golden State Warriors are relying heavily on their young core to rise to the occasion this season.
After reaching five consecutive NBA Finals, the Warriors are now facing a rebuild. A number of significant injuries and key losses in the offseason have caused the Dubs to rethink their future.
The Warriors’ current lineup looks drastically different from those of the past. At 29 years of age, Draymond Green is the oldest active player on the roster.
All of the injuries that have held the Dubs back is opening up a path for the young players to step up and earn themselves some big-time praise. Thus far, the results have been underwhelming.
Let’s start with D’Angelo Russell. The first time All-Star is looking to build on a career year and prove that he is capable of leading a team on his own. Through 10 games, Russell is posting a solid 24.3 points and 6.7 assists per game.
D-Lo showed the world that he could score in bunches with a career-high 52 points versus the Minnesota Timberwolves. Though his performances haven’t led to many victories, he is certainly a beacon of hope in an otherwise dark season for Golden State.
Eric Paschall has also been a bright spot. The second-round draft pick is firing on all cylinders, averaging 18.4 points per game since earning his first start. Overall, Paschall is scoring the third-most points per game of any rookie.
Jordan Poole has been thrown into the fire much faster than he could have expected. Starting in more than half of his first 15 games, Poole is doing a solid job of keeping his head above water. With this being said, the rookie has had some ugly moments and must continue to improve on both ends of the floor.
Other players such as Ky Bowman, Marquese Chriss and Omari Spellman have had brief moments of productivity. Bowman and Chriss provide a ton of energy whereas Spellman has done a solid job at rebounding with 5.5 rebounds per game.
The Warriors’ young core has not been able to lift this team to a positive record, but they have shown some shines of potential. Moving forward, we hope to see more players make their mark on the team while they still have a chance to play big minutes.