Warriors 3 Things: Steph Curry and Draymond Green have the Warriors
looking downright elite
Golden State Warriors: Steph Curry and Draymond Green, the backbone of
the Warriors' dynasty, have the 2021-22 Dubs looking like a true title
contender. Plus: are turnovers a real problem and Jonathan Kuminga's
development is on track.
>SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 12: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry
(30) and Draymond Green (23) high five in the fourth quarter of a NBA
game against the Chicago Bulls at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif.,
on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021. The Golden State Warriors beat the Chicago
Bulls 119-93. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 12: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry
(30) and Draymond Green (23) high five in the fourth quarter of a NBA
game against the Chicago Bulls at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif.,
on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021. The Golden State Warriors beat the Chicago
Bulls 119-93. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)
By DIETER KURTENBACH | dkurtenbach@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News
Group
PUBLISHED: November 13, 2021 at 5:00 a.m. | UPDATED: November 14, 2021
at 5:22 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/11/13/warriors-3-things-steph-curry-and-draymond-green-have-the-warriors-looking-downright-elite/

Peaking?

No, we won’t go that far.

But the Warriors’ two best players — the backbone of the greatest run of
Warriors basketball anyone has ever seen — have reached another level
this season.

Stephen Curry is playing not just like an MVP, but a unanimous MVP. Who
else is on his level right now? I’d say that he’s the best player on the
planet right now, but he’s operating in a different universe than the
rest of the game right now.

And what Draymond Green is doing on defense in this, his 10th season in
the league, is flabbergasting.

Together, Curry and Green are the best duo in the NBA right now. Curry
anchoring the offense with his next-level shooting, Green, the defense.

As such, the Warriors are 11-1 and average the most points per game
while allowing the fewest points per 100 possessions in the league.

Curry dropped 40 on Friday, his third 40-plus game on the season. He’s
second in the NBA in scoring to Kevin Durant, but what’s crazy is that
Curry hasn’t even played his best basketball this season. He’s affecting
everything on the offensive end — his gravity is still the most powerful
force in the league — but he’s not shooting 50 percent from the field or
40 percent from beyond the arc. I’d bet on his numbers creeping up in
the days and weeks to come. Thirty points per game, on average, is not
out of the question.

And while the Warriors don’t need Curry to be thermonuclear on a nightly
basis this season, as they did last year, it’s not something they dislike.

Curry is playing at an insane level — one few players have ever been
able to reach. The Warriors don’t need it, but he can reach down and
find a bit more.

Green, meanwhile is operating in top gear.

He is, of course, the anchor of the Warriors’ league-best defense, but
his individual contribution to the team effort is a masterclass in
outside-in defending. He’s one of the few defenders in the history of
the NBA who can dictate what an opposing offense does.

We saw that Friday with the Bulls. The Warriors forced Chicago to do
things they have tried to avoid all season. They were a half-court,
slow-it-down team playing fast because Green and co. said so. It brought
out bad habits from Zach LaVine, who turned the ball over seven times,
had zero assists, and shot four contested 3-pointers.

Not good.

Unless you’re rooting for the defense.

And it’s hardly just Green, though I think it’s fair to say that he’s
playing so well that the entire Warriors defense is operating at his
level. The Warriors are the only NBA team to allow fewer than a point
per possession this season.

It’s truly a joy to watch this squad rotate on defense. They’re on a
string — communication is fantastic.

Defense like this is a rarity in the NBA. It’s even rarer when you
consider the Dubs aren’t just funneling everything to an elite rim
protector the way the Jazz and Lakers do.

With Curry and Green’s leadership, a deep (and seemingly expanding)
roster of capable support players, and a continuation of the
near-impeccable vibes this team has going at the moment, the Warriors
might not just be a good team — their start has proven that to be the
case — but a truly great team.

Not an ounce of this start seems flukey for the Dubs. Yes, their
schedule has been weak, but they also blasted the rock-solid Bulls, a
talented Atlanta team, and both Los Angeles squads.

It’s early, but we have to start considering that these Warriors might
be a juggernaut. No, in fact, it’s on them to disprove such a notion.

The first 12 games have been that convincing.

Of course, the Dubs will get a chance to come back to earth in the
coming weeks. After finishing their eight-game homestead 7-1, they’ll
head out on the road for four games next week — a trip that includes a
game against Durant and the Nets.

- Are turnovers a real issue?

If the Warriors have a practical weakness, it’s turnovers.

I know this because I’m the guy who receives two dozen emails the
morning after a Warriors loss complaining about one thing: turnovers.

Yes, indeed, that is the Dubs’ Achilles heel, and while it has only
shown up once this season, there’s no doubt that it will show up again.

In fact, Friday, it appeared, early on, as if the Dubs were going to
throw the game away.

Instead, they stopped turning the ball over and they started running
away with the game. Funny how that works, huh?

But here’s the thing: I don’t care about turnovers.

Or rather: I don’t see them as a real problem.

No, turnovers, while avoidable, are the natural byproduct of playing the
Warriors’ style of basketball.

An offense predicated on ball and player movement leaves,
unsurprisingly, a lot of moving parts. The offense also requires
precision passing and timing.

It’s not hard to believe why the Warriors might turn the ball over a bit.

But when their offense is humming, it’s unstoppable.

So what’s the solution to turnovers? Well, the Warriors could stop
playing that kind of offense and go to a more standard pick-and-roll look?

But my official stance on that idea is “Hell no.”

The Warriors coaches can also pray the team tightens up and stops
turning it over.

That’s the play.

Yes, I’m serious.

If the Warriors’ offensive style were easy and foolproof, every fool
would be doing it.

No, as we found out the last two years, not everyone can play this
beautiful brand of basketball — sometimes not even the Warriors.

But this elite style of hoops comes with the risk of turnovers.

The Dubs know how to self-diagnose and Warriors coach Steve Kerr knows
the right lineups to get into the game to stem the problem.

But without risk there is no reward and here the reward is far greater
than the risk.

Don’t worry about the turnovers. So long as they’re the Warriors’ only
problem, the team is sitting pretty.

- The kid is alright

I loved what rookie Jonathan Kuminga was able to do in both halves of
basketball Friday.

And, again, I love that the Warriors are getting him involved in games.
He’s not going to develop on the bench. He’s not Trey Lance. (For those
of you who don’t also read my Niners columns, that was a joke.)

Kuminga had two insane dunks and played some seriously stout defense in
the game as well.

He’s young, he’s raw, but the athleticism and talent is undeniable.

--
Dieter Kurtenbach
@dieter
The Warriors have the Midas touch right now. Everything is cooking for
them. The vibes are impeccable.
https://twitter.com/notdubs1/status/1459391873424891915/video/1
9:27 PM · Nov 12, 2021
63 6 Share this Tweet
--

In the NBA, you bet on wings and athleticism.

When both are present, you pray as a team you don’t mess it up.

The Warriors have a long ways to go with Kuminga, but he’s,
unquestionably a better player than he was only a month-or-so ago. He’s
more decisive and that allows that athleticism to shine.

He’s also, unquestionably, a smart player — we saw him learning how to
avoid DeMar DeRozan’s tricks in real time Friday. It was an impressive
education, but he passed the test.

“He’s earned his minutes,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

The question is how long can he hold onto those minutes? The Warriors
will simply have too many good players to play every night in a short
period of time. Damion Lee is going to return soon, as is James Wiseman.
Then Klay Thompson will re-enter the fold.

In a best-case scenario, it’s going to be tough to find 10 minutes a
night for Kuminga.

Unless he demands those minutes through great play and great practices.

If Kuminga can carve out just 10 minutes, full-time, by April, the
Warriors will have hit the jackpot. Anything more would be greedy.

--
Dieter Kurtenbach
@dieter
If Kuminga can find 10 minutes a night by April… seeeeeeeesh
https://twitter.com/notdubs1/status/1459392255123353601/video/1
9:31 PM · Nov 12, 2021
399 20 Share this Tweet
--

Allen wrote:
> Warriors 3 Things: Steph Curry and Draymond Green have the Warriors
> looking downright elite
> Golden State Warriors: Steph Curry and Draymond Green, the backbone of
> the Warriors' dynasty, have the 2021-22 Dubs looking like a true title
> contender. Plus: are turnovers a real problem and Jonathan Kuminga's
> development is on track.
> >SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 12: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry
> (30) and Draymond Green (23) high five in the fourth quarter of a NBA
> game against the Chicago Bulls at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif.,
> on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021. The Golden State Warriors beat the Chicago
> Bulls 119-93. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)
> >SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 12: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry
> (30) and Draymond Green (23) high five in the fourth quarter of a NBA
> game against the Chicago Bulls at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif.,
> on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021. The Golden State Warriors beat the Chicago
> Bulls 119-93. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)
> By DIETER KURTENBACH | dkurtenbach@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News
> Group
> PUBLISHED: November 13, 2021 at 5:00 a.m. | UPDATED: November 14, 2021
> at 5:22 a.m.
> https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/11/13/warriors-3-things-steph-curry-and-draymond-green-have-the-warriors-looking-downright-elite/
>
>
>
> Peaking?
>
> No, we won’t go that far.
>
>
> But the Warriors’ two best players — the backbone of the greatest run of
> Warriors basketball anyone has ever seen — have reached another level
> this season.
>
> Stephen Curry is playing not just like an MVP, but a unanimous MVP. Who
> else is on his level right now? I’d say that he’s the best player on the
> planet right now, but he’s operating in a different universe than the
> rest of the game right now.
>
>
> And what Draymond Green is doing on defense in this, his 10th season in
> the league, is flabbergasting.
>
> Together, Curry and Green are the best duo in the NBA right now. Curry
> anchoring the offense with his next-level shooting, Green, the defense.
>
> As such, the Warriors are 11-1 and average the most points per game
> while allowing the fewest points per 100 possessions in the league.
>
> Curry dropped 40 on Friday, his third 40-plus game on the season. He’s
> second in the NBA in scoring to Kevin Durant, but what’s crazy is that
> Curry hasn’t even played his best basketball this season. He’s affecting
> everything on the offensive end — his gravity is still the most powerful
> force in the league — but he’s not shooting 50 percent from the field or
> 40 percent from beyond the arc. I’d bet on his numbers creeping up in
> the days and weeks to come. Thirty points per game, on average, is not
> out of the question.
>
> And while the Warriors don’t need Curry to be thermonuclear on a nightly
> basis this season, as they did last year, it’s not something they dislike.
>
>
> Curry is playing at an insane level — one few players have ever been
> able to reach. The Warriors don’t need it, but he can reach down and
> find a bit more.
>
> Green, meanwhile is operating in top gear.
>
> He is, of course, the anchor of the Warriors’ league-best defense, but
> his individual contribution to the team effort is a masterclass in
> outside-in defending. He’s one of the few defenders in the history of
> the NBA who can dictate what an opposing offense does.
>
> We saw that Friday with the Bulls. The Warriors forced Chicago to do
> things they have tried to avoid all season. They were a half-court,
> slow-it-down team playing fast because Green and co. said so. It brought
> out bad habits from Zach LaVine, who turned the ball over seven times,
> had zero assists, and shot four contested 3-pointers.
>
> Not good.
>
> Unless you’re rooting for the defense.
>
> And it’s hardly just Green, though I think it’s fair to say that he’s
> playing so well that the entire Warriors defense is operating at his
> level. The Warriors are the only NBA team to allow fewer than a point
> per possession this season.
>
> It’s truly a joy to watch this squad rotate on defense. They’re on a
> string — communication is fantastic.
>
> Defense like this is a rarity in the NBA. It’s even rarer when you
> consider the Dubs aren’t just funneling everything to an elite rim
> protector the way the Jazz and Lakers do.
>
> With Curry and Green’s leadership, a deep (and seemingly expanding)
> roster of capable support players, and a continuation of the
> near-impeccable vibes this team has going at the moment, the Warriors
> might not just be a good team — their start has proven that to be the
> case — but a truly great team.
>
> Not an ounce of this start seems flukey for the Dubs. Yes, their
> schedule has been weak, but they also blasted the rock-solid Bulls, a
> talented Atlanta team, and both Los Angeles squads.
>
> It’s early, but we have to start considering that these Warriors might
> be a juggernaut. No, in fact, it’s on them to disprove such a notion.
>
> The first 12 games have been that convincing.
>
> Of course, the Dubs will get a chance to come back to earth in the
> coming weeks. After finishing their eight-game homestead 7-1, they’ll
> head out on the road for four games next week — a trip that includes a
> game against Durant and the Nets.
>

To me, this is perhaps the best news of an unexpectedly good season with
a lot of high points: how well Dray is playing after looking so
uninterested for much of the last two seasons. I wonder how long he can
maintain it.

--Robin