The Golden State Warriors are mixing timelines once again. They are led by the three-headed veteran monster of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green, but are supported by a mix of young and up-and-coming players.
Right now, the mix is working. The Warriors have been on fire since adding Butler to the mix, and they could be a real threat in this year’s playoffs. One reason for this has been that some of the Warriors’ young supporting players have found their stroke from three. Although Golden State are certainly focused on the present, the ability of Brandin Podziemski, Quinten Post and Moses Moody to shoot the three-ball could make an eventual Curry retirement less daunting.
The Warriors' youth can shoot
Right now it looks like the Warriors’ future core is going to be made of Jonathan Kuminga, Podziemski, Moody and Post. Sure this doesn’t sound like a championship core, but all of those players are young and have plenty of potential. Podz, Moody, and Post have specifically shown recently that they can be elite three-point shooters.
Post is already one of the best three-point shooters in his rookie class and on this Golden State team. On a roster that has the greatest shooter of all time, Post leading the way in 3-point percentage at 44% is extremely impressive.
Moody has also shown himself to be a solid three-point shooter. He sits behind Curry on the Warriors’ 3-point shooting percentage list at 38.3%. This is a solid improvement on his near 36% percentage for the first three seasons of his career.
Podziemski might not be at the 3-point percentage of either Post or Moody, but he has flashed more potential to create shots for himself off the dribble. The second-year guard is only shooting 34% from three this season -- down from his stellar 38.5% as a rookie -- but after starting the season shooting incredibly poorly, Podziemski is now shooting 37.7% from deep since January 1.
Golden State fans certainly don’t want to think about it yet, but eventually Curry will leave the NBA court for the final time. When he does, the Warriors will lose the greatest three-point shooter the game has even seen.
This is why it's so important for Podziemski, Moody, and Post to continue developing into high-level 3-point shooters. Not only is their shooting helping the Warriors contend in the present, but it also may be the reason the Warriors stay elite from beyond the arc once Curry retires.