The Golden State Warriors have an undoubtedly talented young core, and despite some early struggles this season, the franchise still hopes they’ll eventually take the franchise reigns from Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
Most of the Warriors young players have now seen enough gametime to make comparisons with more established players. This gives fans the opportunity to understand who they could become further down the line.
The Golden State Warriors have an enviable young core who the Golden State Warriors hope can extend the franchise’s winning timeline.
Below are high-end comparisons for Jordan Poole, Moses Moody, James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga, four players who the organization hopes will ultimately usher in a new era of Warriors basketball.
Jordan Poole is a shot creating combo-guard capable of anything offensively.
Following a breakout season last year, Poole is back to making splashes on the court with his ability to create shots for himself and others. He’s definitely learnt that from a certain teammate.
When he’s on, Poole can look like Stephen Curry one did at the same age. It’s no surprise that the 23 year-old has grown and developed under the tutelage of his all-time great teammate. From his handles to his elite shot-making ability, Poole may be a better candidate for ‘the next Curry’ than other young stars like Trae Young. However, there’s also only one Stephen Curry — he’s unique for a reason.
Moses Moody is already a fantastic three-and-D option coming off the Warriors bench.
Speaking of comparing young Warriors to their older teammates, Moody is already on pace to be an elite three-and-D player at just 20 years of age.
Many of his stats compare to those of Thompson in their respective first two seasons, albeit the latter was two years older and was playing twice as many minutes in the rotation. It wouldn’t be surprising to hear if Moody was watching film of prime Thompson to learn the art of perimeter defense and off-ball movement offensively.
James Wiseman can look incredibly similar to a former MVP candidate.
Wiseman is a seven-footer who can jump out of the gym and has near endless defensive potential. If he didn’t have that mid-range jump shot that has been responsible for a large chunk of his scoring, he almost looks like a weaker version of rookie Dwight Howard.
Wiseman does have a much better jump shot than Howard, but he holds nearly nowhere near as much defensive knowhow. However, the athleticism to play in a similar mould is certainly there. With Howard recently expressing interest in signing with the Warriors, his addition may be huge for the young center whom the Warriors will hope plays like prime Howard in the future.
Jonathan Kuminga has the ability to become whatever the Golden State Warriors want him to be.
Kuminga is probably the rawest prospect the Warriors have in their repertoire, even if he flashes potential of being an elite defensive player sooner rather than later.
There have been comparisons to Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and even his teammate in Green. Honestly, if the Warriors are patient and put effort into the 20-year-old’s development, he can eventually become a mix of these players. Right now, his jump shot looks clunky at times, causing him to look like a less physically-dominant, less basketball-savvy version of the Greek Freak.
This is all without seeing Warriors rookies Patrick Baldwin Jr and Ryan Rollins, or draft-and-stash prospect Gui Santos. If even half of these players can reach the level of who they are commonly compared to, the Golden Dynasty will continue well past the ageing core.