The Warriors through 16 games

Discussion in 'Golden State Warriors' started by Run BJM, Dec 2, 2012.

  1. Run BJM

    Run BJM Heavy lies the crown. Staff Member Global Moderator

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    The season is 1/5th completed. Seems like a good enough sample size to take stock of their season thus far.

    Record: 10-6 overall, 6-2 at home, 4-4 on the road, tied for 1st in the Pacific.

    Key team statistics: Tied for 8th overall in opppnent FG% (was top 5 all season until the last game or two), 5th overall in rebound differential at +4.3, tied for 5th overall in turnover differential at +2.2, 10th overall in team FG%, tied for 10th overall in team points per shot.

    Thus far the W's have been middle of the pack in FT% and 3 pt %, which is a surprise, though with Curry and Klay coming around the 3 pt % seems likely to rise. Team FG% has been on a steady increase since the start of the season as well.

    The Warriors are 7-2 in their last 9 games and have won 3 in a row. David Lee and Carl Landry have been rock solid and consistent nightly. Jarret Jack has been steady and makes the offense a bit more dynamic, and Ezeli has been a steady C presence as well.

    The improvement of late can be attributed to Curry and Klay turning around their early season struggles. Klay really broke out the last 5 games, where he's scored over 20 in all but one and done so with a good FG%. Hes rebounding much better this season, getting to the rim when the defense gives it to him, and I have no complaints about his defense.

    Curry's struggles weren't as pronounced, but hes made strides in key areas. He has 3 games this season in which hes had 10 FTAs. The last two games he got 20 points and 10 assists. Above all, hes been aggressive in the 4th quarter and hes come through late in games. A few times hes been the best player on the floor in the 4th and even took over a game or two. Hes showing that swagger that we haven't really seen since his rookie season. Dunno if there's any hope for him defensively, but he still has a lot of room for improvement getting into the lane and drawing FTs, but I like what I've seen from him so far.

    The rookies have been another key for our early success. The solid vets kept us afloat early, and with Curry and Klay coming around we've started to excel. The rookies have filled in beautifully for injured veterans. Festus is a difference maker in the paint and no doubt a big part of our defense and rebounding success. Barnes had a very nice stretch when Bogut left and Klay was struggling, but hes become a complete afterthought in the offense and gets no plays run for him. That said, hes been solid on defense and makes no mistakes. Since RJ went down Draymond Green has been excellent. Hes been fairly mediocre shooting and hasn't found a scoring niche in the NBA yet, but his defense has been shockingly good, he rebounds well, passes well, and his energy and intensity are infectious. You can't ask for much more in a role player.

    Looking ahead, we have a road-trip heavy December coming up. The strength of the opponents isn't great, but the Warriors have had good starts and fallen apart in December before (including last season). They need to take care of business against bad teams on the road. A Bogut return would make us that much better, however he really can't be relied on at this point. I think Barnes will make strides beginning around January and through the rest of the year, not unlike Curry and Klay before him. The defense and rebounding the team has displayed this far are far more sustainable than high powered offense of years past, however we'll see how it is sustained with a heavy slate of road games and opponents rounding into mid-season form.
     
  2. philsmith75

    philsmith75 JBB JustBBall Member

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    I probably undersold MJax last year. He looked like a pure figurehead who strutted on the sideline while Malone did the true coaching (like a chief of staff). MJax talked about wanting "tough, defensive minded" players and I scoffed when I looked at the W's and how they played.

    Now, MJax still looks the same but funny thing is, the players are playing like MJax said he wanted, tough, defensive minded ball and they are winning that way. Now the W's haven't played the toughest schedule but they have won on the road with D and at home with D.
     
  3. Run BJM

    Run BJM Heavy lies the crown. Staff Member Global Moderator

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    Yeah well...winning cures all. He looked highly incompetent last year with a crappy roster. Now he looks good with a club that has depth and is pretty well rounded. I'll give him that hes been pulling the right strings so far with subs, defining consistent player roles, preaching a message consistently and, yes, the players are executing it. In all likelihood Malone is still the brains behind the defensive scheme, and talent is really the difference between good clubs and bad ones. MJax is doing well so far this year, but I'm still not sold on him as a long term answer.
     

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