Last season when Curry was out and Jordan started in his place, part of what made JP so effective was the two man game with Draymond. Dray talked about how he was able to do all the same actions with JP that he usually does with Steph (DHOs, looking for relocations, etc). Looks like having Dray in the second unit to handle the ball and organize the offensive is really helping make things easier for JP.
Kuminga should be able to get some head tap opportunities at some point… but I love how in control he’s looked lately. And he had two breathtaking rebounds where he just out jumped bigger guys last night. Looks like he’s found some motivation/focus/“getting it”
I've got other players I'd much sooner pick on regarding shooting. Wiggins is up 4% from the field and from three this year over any other year of his career. Let's take it.
He blew a point-blank layup that easily have been a dunk. He was right there at the rim and tried to finesse it and missed. I called out to him to slam it through the TV but no, he had to try to be cute.
Nobody seriously thought Steph should be MVP by the end of year because his shooting was so “bad”. For context that level of shooting won Devin Booker 1st team all nba so it’s not that it’s bad, just nowhere near normal Steph levels.
It's not fair, but at this point, Curry is being measured against his own ridiculous standards. Warrior fans do it too. Curry goes 33/5/4/2/0, and we all do the golf clap. It's the kind of thing he does all of the time, and it seems so effortless. We don't get wound up unless he goes for 40 or hits 10+ threes.
Steph-Klay-Wiggs-Dray-Loon vs other 5-man lineups:
Total mins played: 3rd most (230), MIN and ATL starters are 2nd and 1st;
NETRTG:
- 25.9
- in lineups with mins > 100 (21 such lineups): #1
- in lineups with mins > 50 (58 such lineups): #4 (PHI, PHX, MIA, MIL starters are 1,2,3,5) [[PHI, PHX, MIA,MIL mins for those lineups in 52,67,73,119 resp.)
- our only other lineup with min > 50 [JP subs Loon]:. -1.1 // mins played: 76
- our only other lineup with min > 25 [JP subs Klay]:. 7.6 // mins played: 31
If one of our 5 starters goes down, we are screwed..
I think it's similar to last year, albeit with the big caveat that the situation is more tenuous: we could adapt to injuries to anyone besides Dray and Steph
Good points both! I want to clarify that either dropping wouldn't be good, but I could see the team tread water and make a late push when healthy. I would not expect that if either Dray or Steph went down.
Specifically, I think we would see JK step up if he was told to glue onto a guy, and offensively JK would have a bit more room to slash due to the space from Steph and Klay.
Looney dropping would force a smaller lineup, which is more wear than we'd want during the regular season.
Idk, I just have faith that the warriors could play selective playoff ball with a healthy core 3 during the regular season. That security blanket disappears w/o Dray and Steph running the show though. Let's hope this all stays theoretical!
Maybe it's wishful thinking, but it seems to me that Looney is getting a little more lift when he dunks. Not a lot, but enough to notice. Perhaps he's just getting stronger after all those years of injury when he couldn't jump at all.
Also on Loon, in HS and college he had a decent 3 point shot & I've heard he shoots it in pickup games. I keep wondering when Kerr will let him cut loose with a few...just to keep the defense honest, if nothing else.
Looney was asked about his middy attempt at halftime, and said something to the degree of "We'll see what coach has to say about that one". So I'd guess they don't ever really want him shooting any outside of a last resort. And with what an exceptional rebounder he is, I think it makes sense to keep him at the rim for layup/dunks or nabbing some orebs than firing a jumper
I think Poole might have played the best game in NBA history for a player to airball 3 3PA. We also had 3 heaves as a team, although only two were end of quarter (one was the Klay one to prevent 24 seconds). Subtract the 3 heaves and we went 20/42 on 3P vs the Jazz's 11/45. You win every game where that happens. Also remove Steph's two heaves and his statline is even more bonkers: 13/21, 6/11 on 3Ps.
But if you have to nitpick, FTs. For the 17th straight game, the Dubs lost the FTA battle. 17-6 this time, so yet again lost it by double digits. I didn't notice many super questionable ones called as the refs let the players play for the most part tonight in a good way. Both teams actually each had 15 fouls exactly. The Dubs just had 4 and-1 opportunities including 2 4-point plays. We'll see if that Achilles heel comes back to bite them at some point.
Steve Kerr says he believes the Warriors improved ball movement, high assist count lately is partially due to Klay Thompson settling down and making the extra pass. Kerr says when Klay plays well, the dominoes start to fall.
Also, I have a very strong bias against players of his type so I am hesitant to trust my opinion on this (super-athletes, low IQ/skill) but does JMG seem really bad to anyone else too?
He seems to me less low-IQ/skill than someone who is losing their super athleticism and is struggling to adjust at times; less lift, so timing is off on the jump-shooting threes, and finishing at the rim takes more effort. And someone who will get demolished as a perimeter defender but can zone up serviceably. I loved his hustle and 2nd/3rd efforts finishing through contact yesterday, and there was good motion without the ball, whether he got a pass or not... Not giving up on him yet.
Also, I could be projecting. If so, please, in the interest of accuracy, substitute the word "imagined" for "super". Thank you.
Jokic said he wouldn't mind playing with JMG forever, loved him as a teammate. I don't think Jokic would love a guy with a low bball IQ. And I think we judge guys too quickly as individuals and fail to recognize that effect of team play. All he needs is his 3 to get back to his historical average and he will look a lot better.
Looks to me like a guy who’s still trying to get a feel for the offense and defensive systems, so is thinking a lot. His timing on cuts looks like it’s really improving.
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen JMG labeled as a super-athlete/low IQ guy.
Part of the issue is people are looking for OPJv2.0, where he’s more of an inside banger than a wing. Example: I don’t know that OPJ would’ve had the strength/power to complete that play where JMG missed twice, collected both rebounds and completed the dunk in heavy big-man traffic.
The expectations are low for JMG, but calling poster a Stan for a “hey, I’m patient since he’s new to this complex system” comment tells me more about you than them
In a case of good timing, Thinking Basketball profiles the T’Wolves: https://youtu.be/Q8FUAMRso6A
Utah up 54-51 at the half at Phoenix.
Last season when Curry was out and Jordan started in his place, part of what made JP so effective was the two man game with Draymond. Dray talked about how he was able to do all the same actions with JP that he usually does with Steph (DHOs, looking for relocations, etc). Looks like having Dray in the second unit to handle the ball and organize the offensive is really helping make things easier for JP.
https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/warriors-pick-your-poison-training-camp-dream-becomes-reality-win-vs-jazz
Enjoyed that. Klay calming down has been huge, especially for him.
From another article: In four games since last Friday, Thompson is averaging 24.8 points on 52.3 percent shooting from the field and 54.8 percent from 3-point range. Prior to that, he was averaging 15.1 points on 35.1 percent from the field and 33.0 percent from deep, number he has never come close to during his NBA career. https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/ja-morant-tweets-about-quiet-klay-thompson-critics-warriors-star-shining
Warriors current stats:
Offense:
6 in points scored!!!!!!!!!! (116.8)
26 in points in paint (44.3)
11 in fastbreak points (14.9)
12 in offensive efficiency
9 in shooting % !!!! (47.8%)
5 in three point % !!!!!!!!!!!! (37.9%)
6 in two point % !!!!!!!!!!! (56.8%)
23 in off. rebound % (21.4%)
25 in def. rebound % (73.7%)
29 in total rebound % (47.9%)
1 in opponent blocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (3.7)
29 in opponent steals (8.8)
1 in assists!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (29.6)
29 in turnovers (17.2)
Defense:
28 in points allowed (117.5)
15 in opponent points in paint (48.2)
13 in opponent fastbreak points (13.5)
23 in defensive efficiency
10 in opponent shooting % !! (46.1%)
10 in opponent three point % !! (34.9%)
16 in opponent two point % (53.8%)
26 in blocks (4.0)
18 in steals (7.4)
21 in opponent assists (26.2)
13 in opponent turnovers (15.5)
Remarkable* Andrew Wiggins 3-point shooting stat of the day:
442 games with the Timberwolves - 33.2%
174 games with the Warriors - 39.1%
*My remarks here is your proof that’s it’s remarkable.
Kuminga should be able to get some head tap opportunities at some point… but I love how in control he’s looked lately. And he had two breathtaking rebounds where he just out jumped bigger guys last night. Looks like he’s found some motivation/focus/“getting it”
The Warriors dispatched with the Jazz,
And did it with quite the pizazz,
But that number 30,
Did them all dirty,
With spicy Chef Curry raz-ma-taz
Can Andrew Wiggins please stop missing easy buckets… please.
I've got other players I'd much sooner pick on regarding shooting. Wiggins is up 4% from the field and from three this year over any other year of his career. Let's take it.
Absolutely I will take it as is… but it’s not too much to ask him to make bunnies too
He blew a point-blank layup that easily have been a dunk. He was right there at the rim and tried to finesse it and missed. I called out to him to slam it through the TV but no, he had to try to be cute.
Yell louder.
I think we can all agree that it would have been cute if he’d been dropping that Wiggins smile while smoking that little bunny.
Exactly:
Wiggins TS 60.9% on 14.9 attempts a game.
By comparison, Steph last year (which some of us thought should be an MVP year), TS 60.1% on 19.1 attempts a game (stats from nba.com).
Obviously he's a lower volume shooter than Curry, but Wiggs is killing it.
Nobody seriously thought Steph should be MVP by the end of year because his shooting was so “bad”. For context that level of shooting won Devin Booker 1st team all nba so it’s not that it’s bad, just nowhere near normal Steph levels.
It's not fair, but at this point, Curry is being measured against his own ridiculous standards. Warrior fans do it too. Curry goes 33/5/4/2/0, and we all do the golf clap. It's the kind of thing he does all of the time, and it seems so effortless. We don't get wound up unless he goes for 40 or hits 10+ threes.
Counterpoint: Wiggs missing a bunny makes me sad :(
I get that, but think of this.
The guy who's TS is over 60 is also our best POA defender.
It's possible he gets tired a bit. :)
From AP: Warriors: At Minnesota on Sunday, having lost the last six on the Timberwolves' home court since a 117-107 win on March 19, 2019.
Time to do something about that… hope Kogut isn’t refereeing.
Steph-Klay-Wiggs-Dray-Loon vs other 5-man lineups:
Total mins played: 3rd most (230), MIN and ATL starters are 2nd and 1st;
NETRTG:
- 25.9
- in lineups with mins > 100 (21 such lineups): #1
- in lineups with mins > 50 (58 such lineups): #4 (PHI, PHX, MIA, MIL starters are 1,2,3,5) [[PHI, PHX, MIA,MIL mins for those lineups in 52,67,73,119 resp.)
- our only other lineup with min > 50 [JP subs Loon]:. -1.1 // mins played: 76
- our only other lineup with min > 25 [JP subs Klay]:. 7.6 // mins played: 31
If one of our 5 starters goes down, we are screwed..
do you mean Loon instead of Poole?
I think it's similar to last year, albeit with the big caveat that the situation is more tenuous: we could adapt to injuries to anyone besides Dray and Steph
I think we would have a very hard time without Loon
If All Star Wiggs went down either Kuminga or Moody or both would have to step up in a big way at both ends of the court.
Good points both! I want to clarify that either dropping wouldn't be good, but I could see the team tread water and make a late push when healthy. I would not expect that if either Dray or Steph went down.
Specifically, I think we would see JK step up if he was told to glue onto a guy, and offensively JK would have a bit more room to slash due to the space from Steph and Klay.
Looney dropping would force a smaller lineup, which is more wear than we'd want during the regular season.
Idk, I just have faith that the warriors could play selective playoff ball with a healthy core 3 during the regular season. That security blanket disappears w/o Dray and Steph running the show though. Let's hope this all stays theoretical!
I honestly think we will be fine if anybody goes down except curry
The "Steph is MVP" narrative has only gotten stronger and more undeniable, like the player himself.
He is inevitable.
Maybe it's wishful thinking, but it seems to me that Looney is getting a little more lift when he dunks. Not a lot, but enough to notice. Perhaps he's just getting stronger after all those years of injury when he couldn't jump at all.
Also on Loon, in HS and college he had a decent 3 point shot & I've heard he shoots it in pickup games. I keep wondering when Kerr will let him cut loose with a few...just to keep the defense honest, if nothing else.
I will take him hitting mid-rangers like David West.
He already does that, just not nearly as often because he doesn't hang out at the elbow to distribute the ball the DWest did.
Looney was asked about his middy attempt at halftime, and said something to the degree of "We'll see what coach has to say about that one". So I'd guess they don't ever really want him shooting any outside of a last resort. And with what an exceptional rebounder he is, I think it makes sense to keep him at the rim for layup/dunks or nabbing some orebs than firing a jumper
I remember Speights saying he was only allowed to shoot a 3 if the shot clock was running down.
Yes, the midrangers are nice to see... as was the play where he took it to the hoop (and then got an assist) when they were giving him the lane.
I think Poole might have played the best game in NBA history for a player to airball 3 3PA. We also had 3 heaves as a team, although only two were end of quarter (one was the Klay one to prevent 24 seconds). Subtract the 3 heaves and we went 20/42 on 3P vs the Jazz's 11/45. You win every game where that happens. Also remove Steph's two heaves and his statline is even more bonkers: 13/21, 6/11 on 3Ps.
But if you have to nitpick, FTs. For the 17th straight game, the Dubs lost the FTA battle. 17-6 this time, so yet again lost it by double digits. I didn't notice many super questionable ones called as the refs let the players play for the most part tonight in a good way. Both teams actually each had 15 fouls exactly. The Dubs just had 4 and-1 opportunities including 2 4-point plays. We'll see if that Achilles heel comes back to bite them at some point.
Those were definitely the three best air balls I’ve seen one player make in a game.
https://twitter.com/KylenMills/status/1596376839098109954
Steve Kerr says he believes the Warriors improved ball movement, high assist count lately is partially due to Klay Thompson settling down and making the extra pass. Kerr says when Klay plays well, the dominoes start to fall.
Also, I have a very strong bias against players of his type so I am hesitant to trust my opinion on this (super-athletes, low IQ/skill) but does JMG seem really bad to anyone else too?
He seems to me less low-IQ/skill than someone who is losing their super athleticism and is struggling to adjust at times; less lift, so timing is off on the jump-shooting threes, and finishing at the rim takes more effort. And someone who will get demolished as a perimeter defender but can zone up serviceably. I loved his hustle and 2nd/3rd efforts finishing through contact yesterday, and there was good motion without the ball, whether he got a pass or not... Not giving up on him yet.
Also, I could be projecting. If so, please, in the interest of accuracy, substitute the word "imagined" for "super". Thank you.
Jokic said he wouldn't mind playing with JMG forever, loved him as a teammate. I don't think Jokic would love a guy with a low bball IQ. And I think we judge guys too quickly as individuals and fail to recognize that effect of team play. All he needs is his 3 to get back to his historical average and he will look a lot better.
Looks to me like a guy who’s still trying to get a feel for the offense and defensive systems, so is thinking a lot. His timing on cuts looks like it’s really improving.
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen JMG labeled as a super-athlete/low IQ guy.
Part of the issue is people are looking for OPJv2.0, where he’s more of an inside banger than a wing. Example: I don’t know that OPJ would’ve had the strength/power to complete that play where JMG missed twice, collected both rebounds and completed the dunk in heavy big-man traffic.
He was good last night. Definitely had some struggles to this point but hopefully more games like last night’s are to come.
The defense still looks very meh.
But on offense he's looking more comfortable as he gets to play with Steph more.
His 3pt shot looks bad though, releasing on the way down.
Agree here… gives me hope that he can clean it up and get his shot back…
Career 36%, so his shooting could come around, but he dropped off last season so 🤷🏼♂️
Not really bad. Kinda bad.
He was better offensively today. He worked down in the paint and stopped heaving 3s, which he has been missing with regularity.
Idk. I thought he's been ok with the starters at least. Seems to be fitting in better lately
Yeah, almost like he’s on a new team in a new system and yesterday was his 17th game.
Thinking you’re capable of hurting my feelings is adorable.
The expectations are low for JMG, but calling poster a Stan for a “hey, I’m patient since he’s new to this complex system” comment tells me more about you than them