I’m about a decade into the sports journalism business, and it’s a pleasure to serve the sports community with the bros Apricot, Duby Dub Dubs, and all the dope people who’ve made Dub Nation HQ THE premier destination for deep-cut Warriors analysis.
Oftentimes when I finish watching a game, I’ll have a bunch of scattered notes and themes I throw into a mental bucket. Some ideas need more evidence before I present them to you, the faithful reader. Other ideas are funny but too crass or preposterous to be useful (Did Mark Jackson and Joe Lacob get divorced, and Steph Curry was the kid Mark lost in the custody battle to new stepdad Steve Kerr?). And sometimes I’ll look at the pile and go, hey, all of this is trash, let me not waste Dub Nation’s time with desperate quota-filling slop. If I ain’t got nothing to say, I ain’t gon’ say nothing.
But tonight, praise God, I have something to say.
I’m writing this while watching Jayson Tatum’s Celtics play Jaylen Brown’s Sixers, the first time the two have faced each other since Boston traded Brown to Philly. Before tipoff, Tatum went in for the hug, and Brown stared off into space twirling a basketball on his finger like he was auditioning for the Harlem Globetrotters. Two weeks ago Brown said there was no beef, but “might be a little lamb chops.” I don’t know what’s really going on between those two. But from my couch, lamb chops looks a lot like leaving a six-time All-Star hanging on live TV. Hilarious.
The Warriors do breakups a lil differently over here. This past week Golden State saw three guys from the 2022 championship team, and every reunion felt like a family cookout…with the Heat and Pelicans on the grill.
Last Thursday, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins came to Chase Center together, two guys who did heavy lifting during that last championship run. Then Monday, Jordan Poole showed up with the Pelicans and brought gifts. He gave Steph a pair of glasses, then shared a moment with fellow Michigan man Yaxel Lendeborg after the game. Then he told reporters that crossing the Bay Bridge into the arena still feels like home.
Fascinating! Of the three guys who came back this week, I would have guessed that Poole has the most reason to feel unwelcome. His exit was the ugliest of the dynasty, and it started with a punch in practice. And here he is, talking about the Bay like it’s his grandma’s house. Draymond Green, the man who threw the punch, won’t slam the door on a reunion either. Tatum can’t get a hug from Brown, and Poole is getting an open door from the guy who knocked him across the practice gym.
That’s the Warriors for you. They’ll love you forever after you’re gone, even while they’re beating the hell out of your new team.
Look how they had their ex-teammates shackled in Alcatraz.
Klay: 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting. Wiggins: 2 points on 1-of-6 shooting. Warriors by 20.
Poole: 7 points on 1-of-5 shooting in 34 minutes. Warriors 138, Pelicans 87, the biggest home margin since 1991.
Three former champions, five days, and they got sent home with a combined 20 points scored and a pair of losses! That makes eight straight wins for the Dubs, moving to a record of 8-3 after coming off a 37-45 season that ended in the play-in.
Go back to 2021-22 when the dynasty was supposedly over after two straight years out of the playoffs. Klay, Wiggs, and JP were instrumental in their specific roles. Golden State moved on from that supporting cast without forgetting the formula, and they’ve rebuilt the roles those guys used to play. Let’s dig into the similarities:
The big gun on the way back. That ‘22 team started the season hot, but everybody was counting down to Klay’s return in January. This year the countdown is for Jimmy Butler, whom the Warriors hope to activate early in 2027. It’s the same point on the calendar, with the same wait-till-he’s-back energy.
The young Michigan guy who makes the wait fun. Back then it was Poole, a guy who’d spent time in Santa Cruz and ended up getting buckets in the Finals. Now it’s Lendeborg, a 24-year-old rookie who used to work a warehouse job and became the first Warriors rookie since Steph to score 25-plus in three straight games. He had 17-8-6 against Klay and Wiggins, then put up 23 with his fellow Wolverines alum Poole standing right there.
The guy who figured out how to fit. What made 2022 Wiggins special was watching a former No. 1 pick finally figure out how to thrive without being the centerpiece. After coming over in 2020, Wiggins became a real glue guy as a connector, defender, rebounder, and finisher. Podz got here a different way and plays a different game, but in his fourth year he looks like a guy who’s found his spot in a winning system. Kerr has praised him for better shot selection, and his most common pairing is with Steph and Draymond.
Okay, but show me the receipts. I know what some of y’all are thinking: “Gold Blooded King, vibes are not analysis.” Fair. So I ran the numbers.
Raw per-game averages lie a little, because guys play different minutes. So here’s every player’s production stretched to the same 36 minutes. Poole’s and Wiggins’ numbers are from the 2021-22 regular season. Lendeborg’s and Podz’s are this season so far.
The young guy filling in (per 36 minutes):
Jordan Poole (2021-22): 22.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists
Yaxel Lendeborg (2026-27): 24.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists
The glue guy (per 36 minutes):
Andrew Wiggins (2021-22): 19.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists
Brandin Podziemski (2026-27): 16.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists
Start with the rookie. Lendeborg is out-scoring 2022 Poole per minute and matching him as a passer. Poole is a 6-foot-4 guard while Lendeborg is a 6-foot-9 forward; they both got handed the same gig: juice the offense while the vet heals up. (I’ve always wanted to use a semi colon and a colon in the same sentence LETS GOOO).
Podz scores less than Wiggins did, which makes sense. Wiggins was a second option who could drop 20 points on you. (Although as I recall it felt more like it was gonna be like 17 points, no more, no less, pretty much every night.) Podz makes it up everywhere else, with more rebounds and nearly double the assists.
Add their individual scoring rates together and Poole and Wiggins gave you 41.6 points per 36. Lendeborg and Podz? 40.9. Eleven games ain’t a championship season, but those numbers are a pretty encouraging start. Same recipe, new ingredients.
Which brings me to the question. Of Klay, Wiggins and Poole, who would you want back in a Warriors uniform?
Klay is the heart pick. He’s a four-time champion still hitting game-winners, and Chase Center would lose its mind. Wiggins is the size pick. His combination of athleticism and length is a nice wildcard, and he’d be great to throw at an opposing offensive threat to slow ‘em down. I’d welcome Wiggins Island back in a heartbeat!
Poole is the one who wants it most. He’s said he’s a free agent after this season, and he’s practically filling out the application in the postgame scrum. He’s also at a career-low 6.6 points on 19.2% shooting.
It’d be interesting to see the Warriors bring him back on a cheap deal with no franchise-savior expectations. Give him a seat on the bench and a chance to remember who he was: the joyful young hotshot who helped Steph and Dray run the West and win ring #4. No pressure to be the man; he just needs to be a Splash Son again.
Then again, maybe as long as the philosophy lives you don’t need those former players anymore. The vision has always been that if you give Stephen Curry and Draymond Green a collection of competent, gritty, versatile pieces you’re going to be in championship contention. Coach Steve Kerr has been patiently trying to figure out who those players are on the roster, and GM Mike Dunleavy has been trying to cobble as many of them together for right now while still keeping one eye towards a Steph-less future.
That’s what makes this run so much fun. The Warriors can welcome the old crew back to Chase Center, remember the championships, and laugh about the good times. After that they go right back to figuring out how to win another one with whoever’s wearing the uniform now.