After a Game 1 victory on the road last week, Stephen Curry's hamstring injury proved too much to overcome for the Golden State Warriors who lost four-straight and were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on Wednesday night.
The Warriors were always going to be up against it with Curry on the sidelines, but the absence of the 2x MVP also highlighted a major element the front office is going to have to address in the offseason.
The Warriors need far more shooting on the roster
Golden State earned a 99-88 win in Game 1 because of a huge disparity in 3-point shooting, having outscored Minnesota by 39 from beyond the arc. From that point on it was the complete opposite, with the Timberwolves taking control from the 3-point line, which in combination with their extra size made for an awful recipe from a Warrior perspective.
Minnesota made 20 more threes over the last four games, having shot 42.6% from deep over that span compared to Golden State's 31.4%. It didn't help that Buddy Hield was unable to replicate his earlier playoff heroics, that Moses Moody lost all confidence in his shooting till the fourth-quarter of Game 5, and that the defensive limitations of rookie center Quinten Post made him essentially unplayable.
It meant the Warriors had to play in a completely different manner to what they usually would. While that worked well for Jonathan Kuminga who took on an increased offensive role and thrived as a result, it was less effective for Jimmy Butler who often found the Timberwolves loading up on the interior and mid-range areas, resulting in much less shot attempts than what would have otherwise been expected without Curry.
For a team that over a decade ago rejuvenated the NBA into a 3-point shooting league with Curry and fellow splash brother Klay Thompson, it's extraordinary to think about how many rotation players Golden State had this season who were incredibly limited shooting-wise.
Butler isn't known for his 3-point shooting and ultimately shot less than 28% with the Warriors during the regular season, while Kuminga was barely better at 30.5%. Brandin Podziemski overcame early struggles to find himself at a more than reasonable 37.2%, but teams weren't overly buying into his shot in the playoffs where he hit just 32.8%.
Then you have veterans Draymond Green and Gary Payton II, both of who will never be respected by the opposition from beyond the arc. Kevon Looney and Trayce Jackson-Davis aren't threats from beyond the paint, let alone extending out further.
The Warriors just have too many non-shooting threats in today's NBA, yet Curry's brilliance has tended to overshadow that fact over recent seasons. Perhaps his hamstring injury can be a blessing in disguise moving forward, with it proving to the front office that adding shooting should be a major priority this offseason.