Grading every Golden State Warriors player after 30 games
Grading every Golden State Warriors player after 30 games of the 2022-23 season.
Ty Jerome D+
Has had his moment as a two-way player, but whenever he’s on the floor it usually means the Warriors are undermanned and well up against it. Given Quinndary Weatherspoon was controversially cut in order to accomodate Lamb and Jerome, there has to have been some level of expectations. Combine that with being four years and 120 games into his career, and his output may have been slightly underwhelming.
James Wiseman D
A tough grade for the former number two overall pick who’s undoubtedly suffered by the system that he’s in. The expectation was that Wiseman would be a regular rotation member — therefore his assignment to the G League has to be an overall disappointment however way you cut it.
His contribution to losing games earlier in the season may have had Wiseman as a D- or E+, but his dominant form in the G League this month, and some promising signs against the 76ers on Friday, means there’s now slightly more optimism for what the final 50 games or so can produce.
Klay Thompson D
An offseason and preseason with very little game simulation meant the 32-year-old was quite simply unprepared for the opening 10-15 games. Thompson’s struggles were well-documented as he forced the issue far too much in attempting to find a suitable rhythm.
A speaking to from Draymond Green and some of his teammates led to a turnaround for the sharpshooter, and his 18.4 points on 38.4% three-point shooting feels on par with expectations. However, he’s just 39.8% from the field overall which, given his propensity to shoot (16.7 attempts per game), doesn’t bode well for the team’s success.
His defense has been inconsistent — a strong performance against Jayson Tatum last Saturday showed he can still be a winning player on that end, yet there’s been some crucial lapses in concentration and his lateral quickness is understandably not where he was at prior to the major injuries.
Moses Moody D-
This might be the harshest evaluation of all, but the reality is that many viewed Moody as the one recent lottery pick who could come in and contribute regularly this season. This is a player who produced meaningful albeit limited minutes for the Warriors against the Dallas Mavericks in last season’s Western Conference Finals. To go from that, to largely being outside the rotation in a disappointing team, is a pretty poor outcome for all involved.
JaMychal Green E+
Perhaps a little harsh given Green was the 13th player signed to the roster — therefore how much expectation was there to begin with? You could argue there was some — Golden State signed Green knowing full well they had five young, largely unproven players on the roster, plus Andre Iguodala.
He needed to come in and provide a consistent veteran presence, with their being little doubt that he’s failed to do so at least from an on-court perspective. If your value is as a supposed stretch five, then you may want to shoot more than 23.9% from three-point range. It’s hard to see what he’s really bringing at this point.