3 Former Golden State Warriors off to rocky starts to begin 2023-24 season
The Golden State Warriors are unique among NBA teams, keeping the core pieces of their roster together for over a decade. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have all been on the team since 2012. Kevon Looney is in his ninth season with the team.
The rest of the rotation, however, has seen just as much turnover as other franchises. The players supporting the core have come in, played for a time, then moved on to another team. Even just from last season, nine players have moved on.
How are those players doing? Some are out of basketball entirely (Andre Iguodala, for example), some are playing outside the NBA (Anthony Lamb is in the NBL playing for the New Zealand Breakers) and some have been injured to start the year (Ty Jerome).
A few, however, are having rocky starts to begin the 2023-24 season. Let’s look at those players and evaluate their chances of turning things around.
No. 1: Donte DiVincenzo, New York Knicks
Donte DiVincenzo’s time in San Franciso was always going to be limited. He signed a below-market deal as a one-season “prove it” contract, and prove it he did. He shot a career-best from 3-point range, rebounded like a much larger player and played a key role on a playoff team. DiVincenzo then parlayed that into a four-year deal with the New York Knicks.
His start to the 2023-24 season has not been as strong. He has been a part of the Knicks’ anemic offensive performance, shooting just 39.6 percent from the field and turning the ball over as often as he has logged an assist. He has even been inaccurate at the free-throw line, shooting 55.6 percent in a small sample.
If DiVincenzo’s shooting can come around, however, he is still rebounding well and defending at a strong level. Last season he only had 10 blocks in 72 games, and he already has three in seven games this season. Being guarded by James Harden in the Knicks’ most recent game he had his best performance, shooting 4-for-6 from the field for 12 points. DiVincenzo has a good chance of bouncing back and being a positive contributor for the Knicks this year.