Grading every Golden State Warriors player after 30 games
Grading every Golden State Warriors player after 30 games of the 2022-23 season.
Jonathan Kuminga B
If we were grading players on the last fortnight or even month, Kuminga might be an A or B+ at worst. His start to the season was slow and somewhat disappointing, which needs to be factored in to this grade.
Kuminga was out of the rotation for a large portion of the opening ten games, but of the Warriors’ three recent lottery picks, he’s now emerged as not only the most promising prospect but more importantly, the one most capable of contributing to success this season.
Kuminga has already developed into one of Golden State’s best defenders. His athleticism, lateral quickness and length make him a high-level perimeter defender, but he’s also strong and big enough to guard bigger bodies on switches. His offense is a work in progress, though there’s clearly an abundance of talent there that suggests he could be a consistent double-digit scorer by season’s end.
Draymond Green B-
The veteran was under immense pressure coming into the season following his viral king hit on teammate Jordan Poole in training camp. Not only that, but his Finals performances weren’t overly impressive till a solid couple of games helped the Warriors close out the series.
His offense has actually undertaken a slight revitalization — his points per game (8.1) and field-goal percentage (54.1%) are both five-year highs. However, just like and even more so than Wiggins, the defense falls on Green and he’s been unable to keep the team’s level at a high-standard.
Ryan Rollins C+
Hard to judge his NBA performances given his obviously limited opportunities. Rollins’ impressive G League performances, where he’s averaging 20.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists, shows that there’s something to work with in the rookie guard. Overall, that might be more than you expected from the 44th selection in the draft.
Patrick Baldwin Jr. C
Promising preseason where there was a lot of hype, but Baldwin’s season has been about what you would have expected. His G League performances have been a little underwhelming, though he’s coming off an injury-interrupted season of college basketball that could still be playing its part. The 28th overall pick had a promising 25 points (9-for-12, 6-for-9) in his last G League game before being recalled to the main squad.
Jordan Poole C-
Paid in the offseason like someone who should be able to run the Warriors second-unit offensively, Poole has struggled in his designated sixth-man role to start the season. The question is whether he should actually be regarded and evaluated as a $30+ million player given that doesn’t kick in till next season.
Poole has a defining period in the next few weeks, thrust into the starting point-guard role in Curry’s absence. He started well on Friday with an efficient 29-point performance as the Warriors battled hard against the Philadelphia 76ers.
He still needs to grow into the sixth-man role upon Curry’s return though, with the gap between his best and his worst an element that needs to be addressed.