2 Golden State Warriors and former guard part of most overrated players list

Golden State Warriors v Los Angeles Lakers - Game Six
Golden State Warriors v Los Angeles Lakers - Game Six / Harry How/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit

The Golden State Warriors have had an underwhelming 8-9 start to the season, with their struggles somewhat encapsulated by the personal form of former All-Stars Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins.

The pair have been unable to provide the consistent scoring the Warriors need behind superstar Stephen Curry, while their defense has been disappointing at times with the team ranked just 14th on that end of the floor.

Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins have joined former Golden State Warriors' guard Jordan Poole as three of the most overrated players in the league according to Bleacher Report.

Thompson has shown signs of life with a couple of recent 20-point games, yet the 33-year-old is still averaging just 15 points on 40.2% shooting from the floor. That's hardly sufficient productivity from someone making in excess of $43 million this season.

Even post his two major leg injuries, the five-time All-Star averaged 21.9 points on 41.2% three-point shooting last season. However, Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal believes the nostalgia of Thompson's previous All-Star level is making him one of the most overrated players in the league.

""Klay Thompson still plays with the same swagger. He has the same picture-perfect shooting stroke. He fills the same role for the Golden State Warriors. However, he's not hitting his shots at the same rate. Not nearly the same rate, in fact," Fromal wrote."

Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins
Golden State Warriors' pair Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins look despondent on the bench during the 2023 playoffs. / Ezra Shaw/GettyImages

Wiggins, on the other hand, should be in the prime of his career -- he's just 28-years-old and is only around 18 months removed from being the second-best player on a championship team. Instead, his 11.8 points per game is more than five points worse than the second-lowest scoring season of his career (his rookie year).

""The 28-year-old is mired in an ugly shooting slump, but his missing stroke has also affected other elements of his game, imbuing him with even more passivity and affecting his focus and ability on the defensive end," Fromal wrote."

Fromal identified Thompson and Wiggins as two of the seven most overrated players in the league right now. Also on the list is former Warrior guard Jordan Poole, with the franchise having traded the 24-year-old to the Washington Wizards in the offseason.

As Fromal summarized, Poole is struggling as the lead guy rather than playing off the likes of Thompson and particularly Curry. He's currently averaging 17.7 points on less than 40% shooting from the floor and less than 29% from three-point range.

The Warriors will need Thompson and Wiggins to increase their production and value across the remainder of the season, starting with an important In-Season Tournament matchup against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday.