Now 1-1 in the preseason, the Golden State Warriors only truly need one thing in any Klay Thompson replacement — consistent scoring.
After watching Stephen Curry‘s eruption in the Golden State Warriors’ second preseason game, a loss to the Sacramento Kings, it’s obvious that the most important thing for this Warriors team will be a second consistent scoring threat.
Consistent in the keyword there as both Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andrew Wiggins, players brought to Golden State in the last year, have proven to be capable scorers. Both are trending in the right direction.
All we need now is for it to happen on a nightly basis.
In the team’s first preseason game, Oubre Jr. gave them ten points in 22 minutes while Wiggins had eight points in 19 minutes. Those aren’t bad, and considering that it’s still preseason, there isn’t much merit one way or the other.
Historically, at least Wiggins seems to be a solid option. His shooting hasn’t been great, but he’s been able to put the ball in the bucket. Last season, he had just one game of the 54 he played in in which he didn’t tally at least ten points.
That’s great. He was consistent. But, for Golden State, consistency also has efficiency tagged in with it.
They need both for a second scoring option to consistently get the opportunities to score. Wiggins didn’t necessarily do that last season, despite totaling over 20 points per game for the third season of his six-year career.
Wiggins, a third of his games last season, shot under 40 percent from the field. Oubre Jr., who played in 56 games, had 19 games under 40 percent and three games missing double figures. Both have the talent to fill the hole left by Klay Thompson’s injury.
But, scoring can’t be all they do. They have to score efficiently. That will be the key to their long-term security in Golden State. We should also mention that Draymond Green must be involved in making the young studs effective.
He’s the motor to the offense, and he’ll play a role in making it run as smoothly as it has in year’s past. All three together along with a rejuvenated Stephen Curry can make it happen.