Hell of a game. It's awesome watching Oubre figure out how to use Steph's gravity to feed his dunk addiction, and Draymond's ability to connect the dots there is just what the doctor ordered. Green's intensity, focus, and timeliness conjured up since great performances like his dominating 2019 WCF in my mind too.
It was less pretty seeing the bench struggle so badly, and the turnover count in general was laughably bad. We're lucky the Hornets were just as sloppy. Wiseman's hands are seriously concerning. Everything else about his game feels like "future HoF" but the fumbling might be a fatal flaw. Hoping it's fixable.
Wanamaker isn't the only problem with the bench unit, though. Wiggins' offense looked out of sorts and his FT shooting is still a concern. Paschall and Lee had some bad throwaways too. They were entirely unprepared for Charlotte's full court press, which was the strongest such I've seen in the NBA. It sorta kinda worked against the starters, but it really frustrated the second unit.
Curry's 3pt% continues to care nothing whatsoever about how well he's guarded, for better and for worse. Dude draped all over him? No problem, that's a normal shot. Wide open? Somehow he misses a normal percentage of those too. But he would have been the most important player on the floor even if the Hornets hadn't gifted him like half his points on 4th-quarter free throws. His ability to get the team open looks was the secret sauce to Oubre's & Dray's fantastic nights; it's just KO gets it now. I'd say his defense regressed a little bit this game, giving up some easy ones even though he still put in the work on most possessions, but that says more about how peak performance it was against NYK.
Interesting that Looney again didn't play with the other starters in the 4th. We got a little bit of EP and then Bazemore. I'm guessing it was some combo of tinkering and FT%? Seems to have worked out ok, though it didn't get Draymond his 20th assist.
I think Wiggins' shot selection looked better this game but he still missed some ones I wouldn't expect him to. And the Wanamaker problem—more accurately, the 2nd unit ball-handling problem—was more acute. Paschall and Wiseman tried to handle too and they both lost it on drives to the basket. I have a feeling there's a red-headed kid in a bubble somewhere who might be able to help sometime soon. Maybe that's crazy; we'll see.
Glad we got the W. Up next: testing out this newfound first-unit confidence against some stronger teams in the West. We can certainly win any of the next 6 games, but consistency will be the challenge.
Feb 27, 2021Liked by punk basketball, Daniel Hardee
Regarding the Ball/Wiseman debate - Ball gained some really valuable experience with his foray into the Aussie league; something that probably made his transition into NBA ball more seamless. Wiseman, meanwhile, had a 3 game career in college. I’d still rather hold onto a huge diamond in the rough like the Wise one, than a slightly polished ball...
Ball is nice and all, but Haliburton is who rly seems like the missed opportunity. Cant think of a better place for a deadeye sharpshooter with playmaking ability than here
To be fair, Wiseman has had his fair share of defensive warts too. Except Haliburton has a surrounding cast of mostly atrocious defenders who cant help him
Wow — that may be the first time I’ve heard “Haliburton and Toppin” uttered in the same sentence, unless the sentence is “Haliburton may be the best pick in 2020 draft, and Toppin may be the worst.”
Feb 27, 2021Liked by Eric Apricot, punk basketball, Daniel Hardee
Glad you're back Daniel, between you/Dubby/Apricot/Commish this site has such a wealth of amazing writers that write a variety of articles going from play by play breakdown to more holistic assessments of games. There is a reason why Lets Go Warriors is blowing up while GSOM is dying, the quality of writing is far higher which is attracting fans who also want to engage in actual basketball discussion.
Yooo this is a really special comment. Thank you for expressing how you feel about us, it's an honor to root for this team alongside folks like you Arash!
Yes, I'm definitely on the Wiseman train. He's a monster in training with all the tools, and fortunate to be playing in a system that will help him develop. He'll be an All Star in 2023 and I think the KG comparisons are appropriate.
Very good post, DH. You summed up my very own views on how I am looking at the Warriors, lately. They seemed to have turned a corner, especially Draymond and Oubre, both playing like well oiled machines. 19 assists is unreal. That is Jokic territory! lol.
It does seem that Wanamaker and the 2nd unit has been slipping a bit. I can relate to wanting to give one of our gleaguers a shot, but Wanamaker does have a lot of experience at PG. Poole does not even though he is playing like a lighted torch. Both he and Mannion will get their shot, I believe. When, is the question. Kerr is very liberal with allowing incumbents to play through their slumps. Just look at Oubre for an example of this.
My concern for the future is still Wiggins. Oubre has surpassed Wiggins on my belief chart as I always knew he would deep down. He is a special talent capable of explosion. Wiggins just doesn't seem to have that part in his psyche. Plodding, steady, but never really impressing with that oh wow moment. I don't know how he will start next season if they re-sign Oubre, which they must. With Klay back, Wiggins goes to the bench. It does seem he scores a good deal with the 2nd unit. Anyone have any stats on this?
I assume you want to trade Klay too, because he doesn’t do hair flips after dunks or wear a red cape on court and shout “olé” or whatever. Oubre is a delight, but so is Wiggins in his own way, and comparing players’ psyches and blah blah blah with sweeping armchair psychological pseudo-analysis adds nothing to conversation.
Really? It got you to sort of converse and play armchair psychologist. We do this all the time. Why single me out. That's what boards are for, to opinionate. Klay will replace Wiggins' D and shooting. The money for Wiggins contract will help build the team for the future. I'm practical. The finances are important.
As with Draymond, “the money for Wiggins contract” is $0.00, since they’re way over the cap with or without him. If “finances are important” to you, you should understand how they work.
If you want to propose a practical deal involving Wiggins for comparable salary/talent, I’m all ears. Keep in mind, tho; (1) the other team needs a reason for doing it; and (2) if you’re talking about a pure salary dump — either into a team’s cap space or for lesser-salaried players — once Wiggins’ salary slot (i.e. KD’s salary’s slot) is gone, it’s gone for good.
IIRC, your concern for the future like five minutes ago was Draymond, who you felt needed to be traded for some players who could actually help the team.
My concern for Draymond was based on how he has played last season and into this season until very recently. It looks like he has finally stepped it up and to a level not seen before.
Wiggins is stronger than KO and can switch up to the 4 and maybe the 5. His offense has not been as explosive but watch him play D! Seriously, against the premier wings in this league Wiggins has been very, very good. I love KO's defense but I don't want to park him on Lebron for 30 minutes.
KO can be our sixth man of the year and energy off the bench in Andre's old role and then the finishing lineup can be dictated by who is playing well.
People keep saying he can play Andre’s role, but one of the most important parts of Iggy’s role was being a ball-handling playmaker/distributor and I don’t see KO doing that.
He seems to have a solid handle but he is not the passer Andre is. .. although he did have 3 beautiful assists yesterday plus 2 passes that should have resulted in assists.
Also, he can really push the pace, which is what made Andre so lethal coming off the bench. Is KO going to play exactly like Andre? No. Can he be energy, pace and defense off the bench? Definitely. And more offense.
Oubre is more explosive than (old) Andre and can play more minutes, particularly later run Iggy. He’s still growing into his role with the Warriors. No, he’s not going to be the same as Iggy, but probably better overall than 18-19 Iggy was.
Feb 27, 2021Liked by punk basketball, Daniel Hardee
Great read! I really missed your writing. I’m all in on Wiseman, too. He’s 19 for goodness sake with such a steep learning curve and given the schedule, I assume very few if any practice sessions. He’s smart though and at some point the lightbulb will go on just like it has for Oubre.
I don't see how anybody can claim that the Warriors made a mistake by taking Wiseman instead of Ball. First of all, as the truism goes, you can't teach size. But just looking at the stats, per 36 Wiseman has been better at FG%, 3pt%, eFG%, rebounds, and blocks. Ball is better at assists, steals and FT% but as a PG, he darn well ought to be. I haven't looked at the stats, but my guess is that even though Wiseman isn't very good at it, he is the better screener. Neither one of them are great defenders at this point, but they both have the physical potential to be. Aside from all that Wiseman filled a need. The Warriors already have the best point guard on the planet. I like Looney and Chriss as much as the next guy, but Looney's injury history makes one reluctant to see him out there 20 minutes per game, and Chriss is still very much an unknown quantity.
I know I keep saying this but patience, friends. The things Wiseman is raw at are things that can be learned, like positioning on D, playing the angles, setting better screens (he's better than at the beginning of the season), finding the open man on offense, and so on. This pick was not just about "gotta win this year," though obviously we want to do some damage. Next year, he'll be a lot better, and with Klay back and the others more experienced together, that will be enough. By year 3, look out. And THAT is why I think he was the right pick. That's not to dismiss Ball at all. But Wiseman is the guy we need.
Two things that, in my mind, are legit concerns about Wiseman are his hands and his rebounding. Of course his hands can get better, but as Festus showed us, some guys just have butter fingers. His rebounding technique and positioning can improve, but rebounding seems to be equal parts technique, instinctually knowing where the call is going and hunger for the rebound. Those last two are hard to teach.
The hands are an issue for sure. Knowing where the ball is going on rebounds can be learned though. He can study how the ball comes off the rim, off the backboard, at different angles; note how the rims respond in different arenas (check it during the pregame shootaround); know various players' typical shooting arcs from watching video. Heck, we did some of that as amateurs. If an amateur bozo like me can learn it, a smart young pro like JW sure can.
I'll take the bait. JWise was the reasonable pick for the dubs. Some concerns folks like me have are related to the level of preparedness most top 5 picks have. Generally speaking, most 19 year olds that come out have a baseline level of aggression, on court emotional maturity, and savvy that isn't especially apparently with this player yet. The pieces they are typically missing is playing in a team concept, some skills polish, physical strength/ maturity, and full season endurance. I have the highest of hopes for this young buck, but I can't say as I've witnessed they concerning parts of his current game in a top 5 pick before.
This is from Connor Letourneau in today's Chronicle: "None of the previous dozen-plus big men in the modern NBA who played meaningful minutes at age 19 averaged as many points as Wiseman is currently averaging." From the same article: "Wiseman ranks first among rookies in blocks (1.1), second in rebounding (5.8), and fourth in scoring (12.3) and shooting percentage (52.3%), but he is just 16th in minutes per game (20.4)." https://www.sfchronicle.com/warriors/article/How-Warriors-are-juggling-present-and-future-as-15985167.php
> many past 19 year old drafted centers looked more on-court NBA ready than JW
Hey man, you can't make a comment like that and not drop some names :)
Had to dig around for some examples... Jermaine O'Neal? Andrew Bynum? Darko? Eddy Curry? Biedrins? Robert Swift? Are there others? Those are the only 19-and-under centers I could find and I'm not even going to bother looking up first year stats for any of them except JO...
In his first 22 games: 10.8 MP, 48.8 FG%, 3 REB, 0.6 BLK, 4.7 PTS
His numbers don't even approach Wiseman's until year 5 when got 30+ minutes per game in IND: 12.9 PTS, 9.8 REB, 46.5 FG%
This could be fun, I'll have to do some research. Statistics can really skew the conversation, since we know JWise's basic stats are not reflective of his impact on the team. Off the cuff I'd say most the guys you mentioned had a NBA ready presence on the court and weren't quite as lost. No doubt the talent is there. I'm no encyclopedia, but having a hard time recalling a top 10 pick who appeared so raw and overmatched as we've seen in his first 22.
Wiseman plays with an attitude that says I want to take over this game and destroy you on offense. Big guys with that attitude are hard to come by. He brings that attitude to defense too and he’s HoF level.
My only concern is that Hands 🙌 can destroy careers. And a big guy can’t really carry a team to playoff success until they are locked in on D, and have guards that can maximize their production on O. See 76ers playoff flames last year the NO Hornets AD tenure.
That quote sounds gross on its own, like the organization was taunting him with a spot only if he'd speed through traffic the moment they asked. Seems more likely there was just a tryout he was going to miss for some reason, and he made it at the last minute.
It makes more sense when I think about it this way: if I'm writing about the NBA for an entire season, I need variety in my articles... I can't write about Steph for 6 months straight because non-Warriors fans will be bored. So let's go with some other somewhat-viable stories until the latter half of the season when the inevitable (Steph at the forefront of the MVP race) will dominate the conversation.
The Spurs look surprising look this year but I don't think they can hold on to the 5th spot! After the next 6 games, the Warriors strength of schedule for the last 33 games is supposed to be quite a bit easier.
If we can manage 3-3 for the next 6, we will be really well positioned for the back half of the season. Meanwhile, I like our chances against a Lakers team that isn't playing particularly well and we match up really well against Portland. Phoenix pretty thoroughly kicked our but last game, so we have a little motivation... Maybe enough to finish the first half 3-0.
The Suns have a couple of games on us but 4-5 seems like a reasonable range.
This recent stretch is really showing that Davis, not Lebron, is the most important player on the Lakers. Obviously both are big and they play well together but Davis is such a huge difference maker on defense especially. Didn't make sense to me when Lebron was getting more MVP talk than AD.
Well... it proves that they need Davis but it doesn't prove that Davis is more important than LeBron. If they had a stretch with Davis and not LeBron, with other things being equal, and had fewer problems, you'd have a point. And I'm a Davis fan. With the MVP talk it sort of seems loosely comparable to when we had KD with Steph. Steph was our MVP but you could only argue so much if KD had gotten it, as he did in the Finals.
Hell of a game. It's awesome watching Oubre figure out how to use Steph's gravity to feed his dunk addiction, and Draymond's ability to connect the dots there is just what the doctor ordered. Green's intensity, focus, and timeliness conjured up since great performances like his dominating 2019 WCF in my mind too.
It was less pretty seeing the bench struggle so badly, and the turnover count in general was laughably bad. We're lucky the Hornets were just as sloppy. Wiseman's hands are seriously concerning. Everything else about his game feels like "future HoF" but the fumbling might be a fatal flaw. Hoping it's fixable.
Wanamaker isn't the only problem with the bench unit, though. Wiggins' offense looked out of sorts and his FT shooting is still a concern. Paschall and Lee had some bad throwaways too. They were entirely unprepared for Charlotte's full court press, which was the strongest such I've seen in the NBA. It sorta kinda worked against the starters, but it really frustrated the second unit.
Curry's 3pt% continues to care nothing whatsoever about how well he's guarded, for better and for worse. Dude draped all over him? No problem, that's a normal shot. Wide open? Somehow he misses a normal percentage of those too. But he would have been the most important player on the floor even if the Hornets hadn't gifted him like half his points on 4th-quarter free throws. His ability to get the team open looks was the secret sauce to Oubre's & Dray's fantastic nights; it's just KO gets it now. I'd say his defense regressed a little bit this game, giving up some easy ones even though he still put in the work on most possessions, but that says more about how peak performance it was against NYK.
Interesting that Looney again didn't play with the other starters in the 4th. We got a little bit of EP and then Bazemore. I'm guessing it was some combo of tinkering and FT%? Seems to have worked out ok, though it didn't get Draymond his 20th assist.
I think Wiggins' shot selection looked better this game but he still missed some ones I wouldn't expect him to. And the Wanamaker problem—more accurately, the 2nd unit ball-handling problem—was more acute. Paschall and Wiseman tried to handle too and they both lost it on drives to the basket. I have a feeling there's a red-headed kid in a bubble somewhere who might be able to help sometime soon. Maybe that's crazy; we'll see.
Glad we got the W. Up next: testing out this newfound first-unit confidence against some stronger teams in the West. We can certainly win any of the next 6 games, but consistency will be the challenge.
Regarding the Ball/Wiseman debate - Ball gained some really valuable experience with his foray into the Aussie league; something that probably made his transition into NBA ball more seamless. Wiseman, meanwhile, had a 3 game career in college. I’d still rather hold onto a huge diamond in the rough like the Wise one, than a slightly polished ball...
“... than a slightly polished ball...”
I feel like we’re about to hear Coach Nick segue into a Manscape ad on BBallBreakdown
ugh, I don't even want to think about Coach Nick's seamless shilling. Love his basketball advice, hate his product placement
Ball is nice and all, but Haliburton is who rly seems like the missed opportunity. Cant think of a better place for a deadeye sharpshooter with playmaking ability than here
both haliburton and Toppin could have been real nice, but both are showing those defensive warts that were preventing them from going first overall.
To be fair, Wiseman has had his fair share of defensive warts too. Except Haliburton has a surrounding cast of mostly atrocious defenders who cant help him
Wow — that may be the first time I’ve heard “Haliburton and Toppin” uttered in the same sentence, unless the sentence is “Haliburton may be the best pick in 2020 draft, and Toppin may be the worst.”
Haliburton was my guy if we were gonna trade down, but I think Wiseman was the right pick at #2.
I like Haliburton but I see no missed opportunity in taking Wiseman. OK, I'll shut up now.
Glad you're back Daniel, between you/Dubby/Apricot/Commish this site has such a wealth of amazing writers that write a variety of articles going from play by play breakdown to more holistic assessments of games. There is a reason why Lets Go Warriors is blowing up while GSOM is dying, the quality of writing is far higher which is attracting fans who also want to engage in actual basketball discussion.
Yooo this is a really special comment. Thank you for expressing how you feel about us, it's an honor to root for this team alongside folks like you Arash!
Didn’t know you were experiencing health issues. Hope all is better and glad you’re back. And yeah, I’m all in on Wiseman as well.
Prediction: If the Dubs can go 3-3 in the next six games, they’ll finish no worse than in the West. (Obviously, provided they stay healthy.)
Thanks Goofus!! I'm doing much better. Who do you see the 3 wins coming against?
Blazers, Suns and the home game vs. the Lakers
I definitely don't see them finishing outside of the West.
LOL, that was supposed to be “no worse than 5th”.
They’d be 4th in the East right now🙂
3&3 would be crazy good and indicate a big step forward.
It's a tough set of teams but 3-3 is about right for any 6-game stretch with this year's team.
The Gold-Blooded King has returned to the building! Welcome back, Daniel!
It's good to be back amongst esteemed basketball minds such as your self Winter! Are you a Wiseman believer sir?
Yes, I'm definitely on the Wiseman train. He's a monster in training with all the tools, and fortunate to be playing in a system that will help him develop. He'll be an All Star in 2023 and I think the KG comparisons are appropriate.
I also am on the Wiseman train. Right, you know that, I can't shut up about it. All aboard!
Whoever isnt doesnt know wtf they're looking at! IMHO...
You already know I'm on board with JW!
Welcome back, Daniel!!! Doses of gold blood and my morning coffee goes so well together
Haha and a lil sparky spark perhaps hmmmm
#FULLSQUAD
Very good post, DH. You summed up my very own views on how I am looking at the Warriors, lately. They seemed to have turned a corner, especially Draymond and Oubre, both playing like well oiled machines. 19 assists is unreal. That is Jokic territory! lol.
It does seem that Wanamaker and the 2nd unit has been slipping a bit. I can relate to wanting to give one of our gleaguers a shot, but Wanamaker does have a lot of experience at PG. Poole does not even though he is playing like a lighted torch. Both he and Mannion will get their shot, I believe. When, is the question. Kerr is very liberal with allowing incumbents to play through their slumps. Just look at Oubre for an example of this.
My concern for the future is still Wiggins. Oubre has surpassed Wiggins on my belief chart as I always knew he would deep down. He is a special talent capable of explosion. Wiggins just doesn't seem to have that part in his psyche. Plodding, steady, but never really impressing with that oh wow moment. I don't know how he will start next season if they re-sign Oubre, which they must. With Klay back, Wiggins goes to the bench. It does seem he scores a good deal with the 2nd unit. Anyone have any stats on this?
I assume you want to trade Klay too, because he doesn’t do hair flips after dunks or wear a red cape on court and shout “olé” or whatever. Oubre is a delight, but so is Wiggins in his own way, and comparing players’ psyches and blah blah blah with sweeping armchair psychological pseudo-analysis adds nothing to conversation.
Really? It got you to sort of converse and play armchair psychologist. We do this all the time. Why single me out. That's what boards are for, to opinionate. Klay will replace Wiggins' D and shooting. The money for Wiggins contract will help build the team for the future. I'm practical. The finances are important.
As with Draymond, “the money for Wiggins contract” is $0.00, since they’re way over the cap with or without him. If “finances are important” to you, you should understand how they work.
If you want to propose a practical deal involving Wiggins for comparable salary/talent, I’m all ears. Keep in mind, tho; (1) the other team needs a reason for doing it; and (2) if you’re talking about a pure salary dump — either into a team’s cap space or for lesser-salaried players — once Wiggins’ salary slot (i.e. KD’s salary’s slot) is gone, it’s gone for good.
Not to mention if it's a pure salary dump the other team is going to expect something extra, like one or more picks.
“My concern for the future is still Wiggins.”
IIRC, your concern for the future like five minutes ago was Draymond, who you felt needed to be traded for some players who could actually help the team.
My concern for Draymond was based on how he has played last season and into this season until very recently. It looks like he has finally stepped it up and to a level not seen before.
“A level not seen before”
Okay.
GASP
Whoever is the flavor of the day i guess? If steph has a slump next, the suggestion will be to move him to the 2nd unit to get his confidence back 😂
Wait, I think you've just discovered how to fix the problems we've been having with the second unit!
Trying to imagine Steph not having confidence... nope, I give up.
Wiggins is stronger than KO and can switch up to the 4 and maybe the 5. His offense has not been as explosive but watch him play D! Seriously, against the premier wings in this league Wiggins has been very, very good. I love KO's defense but I don't want to park him on Lebron for 30 minutes.
KO can be our sixth man of the year and energy off the bench in Andre's old role and then the finishing lineup can be dictated by who is playing well.
People keep saying he can play Andre’s role, but one of the most important parts of Iggy’s role was being a ball-handling playmaker/distributor and I don’t see KO doing that.
He seems to have a solid handle but he is not the passer Andre is. .. although he did have 3 beautiful assists yesterday plus 2 passes that should have resulted in assists.
Also, he can really push the pace, which is what made Andre so lethal coming off the bench. Is KO going to play exactly like Andre? No. Can he be energy, pace and defense off the bench? Definitely. And more offense.
Oubre is more explosive than (old) Andre and can play more minutes, particularly later run Iggy. He’s still growing into his role with the Warriors. No, he’s not going to be the same as Iggy, but probably better overall than 18-19 Iggy was.
That's probably a fair assessment except for distributing. But Oubre's not better than 2015 Finals Andre!
I see everyone was talking about Eiggins, but I see Oubre more in that mold. I see Wiggins as more of a Harrison Barnes on the 15-16 Warriors type.
No, I think everyone is talking about Oubre in the Iggy role.
I don't think anyone is making the Wiggins to Andre comparison
Yeah Wiggins vs 73 win non-cold streak Barnes is a good comparison. I’d take Wiggins.
Yeah Wiggins is elite on defense. I agree KO would be the one who goes to the 6th man spot in future but who knows?
BTW, I don't know if anyone else noticed that nick name from Draymond last night but "KO" is a great name and matches his playing style.
Also his ability to knock someone unconscious.
Great read! I really missed your writing. I’m all in on Wiseman, too. He’s 19 for goodness sake with such a steep learning curve and given the schedule, I assume very few if any practice sessions. He’s smart though and at some point the lightbulb will go on just like it has for Oubre.
I don't see how anybody can claim that the Warriors made a mistake by taking Wiseman instead of Ball. First of all, as the truism goes, you can't teach size. But just looking at the stats, per 36 Wiseman has been better at FG%, 3pt%, eFG%, rebounds, and blocks. Ball is better at assists, steals and FT% but as a PG, he darn well ought to be. I haven't looked at the stats, but my guess is that even though Wiseman isn't very good at it, he is the better screener. Neither one of them are great defenders at this point, but they both have the physical potential to be. Aside from all that Wiseman filled a need. The Warriors already have the best point guard on the planet. I like Looney and Chriss as much as the next guy, but Looney's injury history makes one reluctant to see him out there 20 minutes per game, and Chriss is still very much an unknown quantity.
I know I keep saying this but patience, friends. The things Wiseman is raw at are things that can be learned, like positioning on D, playing the angles, setting better screens (he's better than at the beginning of the season), finding the open man on offense, and so on. This pick was not just about "gotta win this year," though obviously we want to do some damage. Next year, he'll be a lot better, and with Klay back and the others more experienced together, that will be enough. By year 3, look out. And THAT is why I think he was the right pick. That's not to dismiss Ball at all. But Wiseman is the guy we need.
Two things that, in my mind, are legit concerns about Wiseman are his hands and his rebounding. Of course his hands can get better, but as Festus showed us, some guys just have butter fingers. His rebounding technique and positioning can improve, but rebounding seems to be equal parts technique, instinctually knowing where the call is going and hunger for the rebound. Those last two are hard to teach.
The hands are an issue for sure. Knowing where the ball is going on rebounds can be learned though. He can study how the ball comes off the rim, off the backboard, at different angles; note how the rims respond in different arenas (check it during the pregame shootaround); know various players' typical shooting arcs from watching video. Heck, we did some of that as amateurs. If an amateur bozo like me can learn it, a smart young pro like JW sure can.
I'll take the bait. JWise was the reasonable pick for the dubs. Some concerns folks like me have are related to the level of preparedness most top 5 picks have. Generally speaking, most 19 year olds that come out have a baseline level of aggression, on court emotional maturity, and savvy that isn't especially apparently with this player yet. The pieces they are typically missing is playing in a team concept, some skills polish, physical strength/ maturity, and full season endurance. I have the highest of hopes for this young buck, but I can't say as I've witnessed they concerning parts of his current game in a top 5 pick before.
How many 19-year-old centers not named Moses have been significantly better than JW in the first half of their rookie year? Not many, I think.
I'll make the argument that, while his talent level is undeniable, many past 19 year old drafted centers looked more on-court NBA ready than JW.
This is from Connor Letourneau in today's Chronicle: "None of the previous dozen-plus big men in the modern NBA who played meaningful minutes at age 19 averaged as many points as Wiseman is currently averaging." From the same article: "Wiseman ranks first among rookies in blocks (1.1), second in rebounding (5.8), and fourth in scoring (12.3) and shooting percentage (52.3%), but he is just 16th in minutes per game (20.4)." https://www.sfchronicle.com/warriors/article/How-Warriors-are-juggling-present-and-future-as-15985167.php
> many past 19 year old drafted centers looked more on-court NBA ready than JW
Hey man, you can't make a comment like that and not drop some names :)
Had to dig around for some examples... Jermaine O'Neal? Andrew Bynum? Darko? Eddy Curry? Biedrins? Robert Swift? Are there others? Those are the only 19-and-under centers I could find and I'm not even going to bother looking up first year stats for any of them except JO...
In his first 22 games: 10.8 MP, 48.8 FG%, 3 REB, 0.6 BLK, 4.7 PTS
His numbers don't even approach Wiseman's until year 5 when got 30+ minutes per game in IND: 12.9 PTS, 9.8 REB, 46.5 FG%
This could be fun, I'll have to do some research. Statistics can really skew the conversation, since we know JWise's basic stats are not reflective of his impact on the team. Off the cuff I'd say most the guys you mentioned had a NBA ready presence on the court and weren't quite as lost. No doubt the talent is there. I'm no encyclopedia, but having a hard time recalling a top 10 pick who appeared so raw and overmatched as we've seen in his first 22.
Hell, even KAT and AD also have very comparable stats to JW for their first 22 games... both had a year in college.
Thanks Janet! And I totally agree on JW. We gotta let him develop
Wiseman plays with an attitude that says I want to take over this game and destroy you on offense. Big guys with that attitude are hard to come by. He brings that attitude to defense too and he’s HoF level.
My only concern is that Hands 🙌 can destroy careers. And a big guy can’t really carry a team to playoff success until they are locked in on D, and have guards that can maximize their production on O. See 76ers playoff flames last year the NO Hornets AD tenure.
Welcome back Daniel, enjoyed the read and it's my birthday too (what a treat!)
I appreciate that very much, and happy birthday to you! So this makes you a...Pisces? Like Steph?
Thanks! Yes I'm a pisces too, I must be wasting my star sign talent. :)
Everyone I meet lately is coming up Pisces. It’s like an aquarian age or something 😉
All the people born under the sign of aquarius just shaking their heads rn ;)
Solid Gold!
thanks buddy!
That quote sounds gross on its own, like the organization was taunting him with a spot only if he'd speed through traffic the moment they asked. Seems more likely there was just a tryout he was going to miss for some reason, and he made it at the last minute.
All the more reason that we MUST take them down on Sunday!
Why is Jokic above Steph? It made sense when Nuggets had seed #4
It makes more sense when I think about it this way: if I'm writing about the NBA for an entire season, I need variety in my articles... I can't write about Steph for 6 months straight because non-Warriors fans will be bored. So let's go with some other somewhat-viable stories until the latter half of the season when the inevitable (Steph at the forefront of the MVP race) will dominate the conversation.
That's what I tell myself anyway...
Steph has definitely joined the conversation!
The Spurs look surprising look this year but I don't think they can hold on to the 5th spot! After the next 6 games, the Warriors strength of schedule for the last 33 games is supposed to be quite a bit easier.
If we can manage 3-3 for the next 6, we will be really well positioned for the back half of the season. Meanwhile, I like our chances against a Lakers team that isn't playing particularly well and we match up really well against Portland. Phoenix pretty thoroughly kicked our but last game, so we have a little motivation... Maybe enough to finish the first half 3-0.
The Suns have a couple of games on us but 4-5 seems like a reasonable range.
This recent stretch is really showing that Davis, not Lebron, is the most important player on the Lakers. Obviously both are big and they play well together but Davis is such a huge difference maker on defense especially. Didn't make sense to me when Lebron was getting more MVP talk than AD.
Well... it proves that they need Davis but it doesn't prove that Davis is more important than LeBron. If they had a stretch with Davis and not LeBron, with other things being equal, and had fewer problems, you'd have a point. And I'm a Davis fan. With the MVP talk it sort of seems loosely comparable to when we had KD with Steph. Steph was our MVP but you could only argue so much if KD had gotten it, as he did in the Finals.
Hahah I was wondering if anybody was gonna catch that! Good eye!