Golden State Warriors biggest issue further emphasized in sobering rankings

The Golden State Warriors have a big issue they spent much of the offseason trying to address, yet to no avail as we now sit just days away from the start of training camp.

There's no reliable co-star for Stephen Curry. The gap between the 2x MVP and the Warriors next best player is the size of the ocean, and even then Draymond Green is far more defender and playmaker than he is scorer.

The Warriors need for a co-star may only get more glaring

Golden State know it. They tried to lure Paul George then Lauri Markkanen, but were unable to complete a trade with the L.A. Clippers and Utah Jazz respectively. It leaves the question of if Green is still considered the second-best player, who is ultimately the second-best scorer behind Curry?

Klay Thompson remained that last season, albeit Jonathan Kuminga was close to, if not fully took the mantle over the second half of the season. Most would therefore suggest that with more opportunity and another offseason of development, the fourth-year forward is ready to ascend and be the 20+ point per game scorer the Warriors need him to be.

Yet in a recent ranking of the best number two options around the league, Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports still considered 2022 All-Star Andrew Wiggins as Golden State's number two option offensively.

Wiggins ranked 22nd which may actually be fairly favorable given he's coming off a season where he averaged 13.2 points per game. If the Warriors are relying on Wiggins to be their second go-to option, needless to say they're in some trouble. Even in his All-Star season the Canadian was fourth on the team in scoring at 17.2 points per game, sitting behind Curry, Thompson and Jordan Poole.

Wiggins isn't that player anymore, and frankly never has been while he's been with the Warriors. But on a grander scale of the overall landscape, whoever Golden State's second option is, they need to be better than 22nd in the league if the franchise wants any hope of a deep playoff run.

It could still come in the form of Kuminga, though a glance at the list would suggest it's difficult for him to be a top 15 second option in the league by the end of the season. If it quickly becomes apparent that it won't or can't be him, then the Warriors are sure to be active in the trade sphere before too much more of Curry's prime wastes away.