Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins the bright spots for the Golden State Warriors so far

Eight games into the 2022-23 season, the Golden State Warriors sit at 3-5 and 12th in the Western Conference. It hasn’t been the blistering hot start to the season many expected from the defending champions, but like most teams, the Warriors are in the experimental stage – mixing and matching different schemes and personnels in order to identify what works best.

Certain lineup combinations have proven sub-optimal and the Golden State Warriors team defense has left a lot to be desired, but two things have been confirmed thus far – Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins have picked up right where they left off.

Stephen Curry capped off his electrifying post-season by torching the best defense in the NBA en-route to securing his first ever Finals MVP trophy. Through the first eight games of the 2022-23 campaign, Curry is once again posting MVP-like numbers, averaging 30 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists on 47.3% from the floor and 39.6% from three-point range.

Curry’s brilliance is often taken for granted and understandably so, but what often gets lost in translation is that the two-time MVP is turning 35 years old this season. Somehow, despite entering his mid-30’s, Curry continues to play peak level basketball. Naturally his athleticism and explosiveness have declined, but Curry continues to shoot the lights out while boasting the best cardio in the league.

What’s even more absurd, is that Curry is not only maintaining his MVP level production, but in some areas, he is actually improving. The Warriors offensive system has never supported a heavy dosage of isolation possessions, but Curry seems to be more comfortable with beating defenders off the dribble than ever before, highlighted in the first game against Miami where he cooked Tyler Herro.

“He continues to improve,” Draymond Green said of Curry. “Which is scary that that guy continues to get better.”

"“I wish that I knew [how]. He works, though. I don’t think that it is any secret. He has put the work in on the court, in the weight room, and he is one of the more special talents that we have seen come through this league”, Green said."

Perhaps the bigger revelation has been the play of Andrew Wiggins. The 1-time All-Star signed a four-year, $109 million dollar extension to remain in the Bay, and so far, that deal appears to be a bargain.

Wiggins is truly ‘Mr. Do-it-all’ for the Warriors. Need a bucket? He can efficiently score in isolation. Need a defensive stop? He’s now one of the premier perimeter defenders in the NBA. Need a rebound? Oh yeah, he’s equipped with the athleticism to do that too. The former number one overall pick is averaging 17.8 points, six rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks, while shooting 46.2% from the field and 38.8% from three-point range.

The game seems to have finally slowed down for the 27-year old Wiggins as evidenced by his quick decision making. He understands when to cut off the ball, when to crash the glass and fight to keep possessions alive, and when to be aggressive in attacking his matchups.

When offensive possessions fall apart, Wiggins acts as a safety valve for Golden State. He is always aware of his positioning on the court which enables him to quickly get to his spots and exploit defensive mismatches.

While Klay Thompson struggles to rediscover his pre-injury form, Wiggins has stepped up as the Warriors number two option. He is impacting the game on every level and if he keeps it up, Wiggins feels that he has the chance to cement his status as a Warrior legend.

"“Andre (Iguodala), Draymond (Green), Klay (Thompson, Steph (Curry) — those are Warriors legends and Bay legends. Hopefully by the time I’m done, people will look at me like that,” Wiggins said.“I just have to keep putting in the work and accomplish what they have accomplished. That is a lot of motivation. They have accomplished so much while they’ve been here with all of their titles and dominating the league. I’m trying to follow what they did.”"