Golden State Warriors: 1 thing to improve for each key player

The NBA is constantly reinventing itself. Champions must improve or the following year will see another team sitting on their throne. Can the Golden State Warriors enjoy that evolution this season?

Let’s take a look at the areas where the Golden State Warriors core rotation has the potential to grow this season. One key player, one thing to improve.

Warriors’ Big Three

Stephen Curry: Yes, he shot below 40% on 3s for the first time in his career while healthy. No, I can’t pick his shooting as something to improve on. Let’s be realistic. In the nearly impossible task of upgrading the reigning Finals MVP, durability is the only empty box.

Due to injuries, the pandemic and load management, Curry hasn’t played at least 70 games in a regular season since 2017. The 34-year-old point guard could set that as a goal for this edition. Maybe it’s the difference between a very good campaign and another MVP, or between the fourth and the first seed in the West.

Klay Thompson: there are no secrets to what the shooting guard can give Golden State. He’s Klay Thompson. You know him. However, there can be questions about its consistency. For the four-time NBA champion, this season will be about regaining regularity in his shooting, his defense and in the continuity of the games.

Draymond Green: the dynasty’s vocal leader will have to deal with many people paying attention to what he does. But, in terms of basketball impact, its biggest debt is clear: the three-point shot. Green’s best version probably emerged in 2016, when he shot 38.8% from long distance and established himself as another real threat to defenses.

It was not by chance that the Warriors won 73 games that season. That’s the key to unlocking this team’s full potential.

The rising stars

Jordan Poole: this season could be crucial for Poole in so many ways: a big contract, consolidation as one of the best young stars in the NBA and so on. We all know that. But… how can he improve his game and benefit the Warriors? Exploiting his virtues in pick-and-roll situations.

Last season, Milwaukee native was one of eleven players who ranked above the 84th percentile as PnR ball-handlers with at least four possessions. of that style. Nevertheless, he was the second one who least frequented that option: 23,8%. He’ll be spending a lot of time on the court with James Wiseman, a perfect partner to increase his use of that tool.

Andrew Wiggins: after failing to break the 5.2 rebounds per game barrier in his entire career, Wiggins averaged 7.5 in the 2022 Playoffs. He went Dennis Rodman mode during the NBA Finals and grabbed 16 and 13 in Games 4 and 5, respectively.

The main task the two-way wing will have in this campaign is to stay within those parameters. It’s the reason Golden State will be able to use its Death Lineup more often.

The spare wheels

Kevon Looney: the Warriors will have Curry, a revamped Thompson and a hungry Poole. From Looney, they will need the usual: screens and accurate passes. To become an even more valuable piece of the system, the veteran center could climb to the elite in terms of Screen Assists (ranked 20th in last season).

In short, his job is to continue making life easier for the rest.

Donte DiVincenzo: He must be the glue guy in the second unit. Easy to say, hard to achieve. Pulling out the obvious athletic differences, former Villanova guard’s role could be something like what Andre Iguodala did in his prime as a backup: provide a safe and judicious understanding of the needs of the team to do what is required at the right time.

DiVincenzo can accomplish that: he has points in his hands, handles the ball well and knows how to defend the perimeter.

JaMychal Green: Otto Porter Jr. shot 37% from three last regular season and 40.4% in the Playoffs. On the other hand, Green dropped from 39.9% to 26.6% between 2020/21 and 2021/22. To be as sharp as the new member of Toronto Raptors, he must return to his previous shooting version.

The young core

James Wiseman: there’s a world where the Warriors enjoy the top two scorers off the bench in the NBA. In that world, their young gem is extremely aggressive on the offensive end. By focusing on constantly punishing defenses, Wiseman can outshine any backup scoring center.

Aggressiveness. That’s his area for improvement.

Jonathan Kuminga: the Congolese is potentially the franchise’s most promising player. He is the most intermittent of all those youngsters as well. It will be normal that this affects his offensive impact, but it will prevent him from adding important minutes if it also hits his defense.

That will be the key for Kuminga’s season: to show defensively what we saw in Japan Games. He could strengthen the bench of what will probably be one of the best defensive teams in the league.

Moses Moody: with great power comes great responsibility. Or, better said, maturity gives you minutes. Moody has proven to be the most mature young man on the Warriors’ roster. Therefore, his task will be to continue to be productive in a larger role.

For that, it is mandatory to improve in almost everything: decision-making, concentration on defense, game reading… Perhaps that’s asking a lot from someone in his 20s, but Steve Kerr will need him to be the grown man among the boys.