Kurtenbach: The Warriors’ kids have learned how to win. That changes
everything for Golden State
Golden State Warriors: The stellar play of Jordan Poole and Jonathan
Kuminga rounds out the Warriors' rotation and gives Golden State an edge
with Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins out of the lineup
>Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga (00) and Golden State
Warriors’ Jordan Poole (3) laugh after a foul against Boston Celtics’
Marcus Smart (36) in the fourth quarter of their NBA game at Chase
Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022. (Ray
Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
By DIETER KURTENBACH | dkurtenbach@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News
Group
PUBLISHED: December 30, 2022 at 5:00 a.m. | UPDATED: December 31, 2022
at 12:08 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/12/30/kurtenbach-the-warriors-kids-have-learned-how-to-win-that-changes-everything-for-golden-state/

There’s an old adage in the NBA that the season doesn’t begin until
Christmas.

No team took it more to heart than the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors started the season — the actual season, which opens in
October — winning only 15 of 33 games, an underwhelming performance
following the team’s fourth title this past June.

But then Christmas came, and the Warriors found under the tree their
best form.

After weeks of waining energy and focus, the Warriors locked in and blew
out an outstanding Memphis Grizzlies team on the holiday, even without
Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins.

The Warriors then carried that same energy and focus into back-to-back
wins over the Hornets and the Jazz.

Friday, they added another win thanks to a brilliant late fourth-quarter
push against the Blazers.

This is the Warriors’ first four-game winning streak of the season, and
there’s nothing flukey about it.

Why? Because the Baby Dubs — namely Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga —
are showing that they know how to play the Warriors’ way. Which is to
say they have learned how to win in the NBA.

That changes everything for Godlen State.

>Golden State Warriors’ Jordan Poole (3) takes a shot during warmups
before a game against the Utah Jazz at Chase Center in San Francisco,
Calif., on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)

With Curry out of the lineup, the Warriors have leaned heavily on Klay
Thompson and Draymond Green, and both have been marvelous this past week.

But success for the Warriors is tied to Poole and Kuminga.

The Warriors are leaning on both. And both players are showing they can
handle the weight.

Golden State has needed to lean on Poole to be the alpha on offense with
Curry sidelined for 11 games this season. Up until this week, that had
been a mixed bag. Poole’s play was far too mercurial, especially facing
defenses that were paying Curry-like attention to him.

The Warriors adapted to Poole, running high pick-and-roll with the
23-year-old guard.

But that left most of the Warriors’ players scrambling to figure out a
new role. The Warriors’ offensive system was built around Curry. The
team was built around Curry. So while Poole spearheading the offense as
a true point guard was an option for the Warriors, Golden State coach
Steve Kerr has long challenged Poole to play off the ball. Not only does
it better replicate the Warriors’ offense with Curry, but it also gives
Poole cover from the hyper-focused defensive attention he was facing as
a point guard.

Playing the Curry role, off-ball, is anything but easy, though.

With Donte DiVincenzo and Ty Jerome running point over the last three
games, in particular, Poole has committed to emulating No. 30.

That means running, running, and more running.

Few players in the league cover more distance than Curry per game — 1.44
miles per game on offense.

But over the last three games, Poole covered 1.49 miles per game on
offense per Second Spectrum Data. That’s a 20 percent increase on his
average before Christmas.

Poole is working hard off the ball, not necessarily because it will get
him an open shot (though it often does) but because breaks down the
connective tissue of the defense, giving someone on the Warriors an open
shot. Add in his outstanding dribble penetration and increased
free-throw rate, and the Warriors have a reasonable facsimile of Curry
in Poole.

The Warriors look like the Warriors again. The pieces of this puzzle fit
together.

Yes, Poole is now fully grasping a fundamental but difficult truth of
winning basketball: you get what you give.

By sacrificing himself for the benefit of his team, he is putting up
great offensive numbers, and the Warriors are winning behind him.

Kuminga has clearly taken to the lesson as well.

>Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) advances the ball up court as
Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga (00) defends in the first half
of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. (AP
Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

>RELATED ARTICLES
Donte DiVincenzo knows a thing or two about winning. That experience
is paying off with the Warriors
2022: The Year in Pictures
Jordan Poole scores 41 points, Klay Thompson adds 31 to extend
Warriors’ win streak to four
Warriors center James Wiseman out with ankle sprain, Andrew Wiggins
making progress
Former Warriors defensive ace Gary Payton II makes return to Chase Center

The 20-year-old forward has slid in and out of the team’s rotation, but
is a required member of it now with Wiggins sidelined.

What the Warriors need from Kuminga right now is point-of-attack
defense. It’s neither an easy nor fun job, for a player like Kuminga —
once considered the best prospect in his draft class and one of the best
athletes in the NBA — it’s a role that could be considered beneath him.

But in recent games, Kuminga looks fully committed to that role. He’s
thinking defense first — and because you get what you give, he’s finding
himself in strong offensive positions, too.

There was no better example than Friday night’s fourth quarter against
the Blazers. Kuminga — playing with five fouls — was brilliant in
defending Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons, elite offensive players
much smaller than him, but not quicker.

With Kuminga leading the charge on the perimeter and Green behind him,
the Blazers scored two points in the final five minutes of Friday’s game.

Kuminga, in turn, had two dunks, one on a great backdoor cut, the other
in transition, started by an outstanding contest of a Simons shot.

Kuminga’s current role is not dissimilar to what Wiggins was given in
his first weeks playing with Curry, and what Gary Payton II played last
year. The Warriors want to turn defense into offense — their play on the
defensive end bleeds to the other end of the court, whether they like it
or not. By tasking Wiggins and Payton II with top defensive jobs, they
found a role on the team and great transition offense opportunities to
showcase their athleticism.

Then, in the half-court offense, Wiggins, Payton II, and now Kuminga
were charged with working the baseline — shooting corner 3s, cutting
when open, dunk whenever possible.

Wiggins’ game expanded. Payton was immensely valuable as a power forward
(despite being 6 feet tall) in the NBA Finals. Kuminga is setting a
baseline — pardon the pun — for seemingly limitless future success.

Poole and Kuminga’s play has been a huge part of the Warriors coming
through in three clutch situations over the last three games.

The Warriors were 5-10 in games that had a five-point or fewer margin
with fewer than five minutes remaining before this week, in large part
because it’s hard to trust young players to come through in those
situations.

Now they are. If it continues, the Warriors won’t need to worry about
adding veterans to the mix before the trade deadline — the organization
can maintain its dream of everlasting wins, provided by the team’s
veterans and young guns.

Poole and Kuminga will still make mistakes — there will still be
out-of-control moments for young players.

But the last week has shown the two’s immense progress. It’s crystal clear.

The duo is building legitimate trust with Warriors coaches and teammates
through the simplification of their games. It’s winning basketball, even
without Curry and Wiggins.

So you can imagine the level of play the Warriors can reach with those
two back in the fold.

Maybe the NBA season doesn’t start until Christmas.

Because with Poole and Kuminga playing like reliable pros, the best part
of the Dubs’ 2022-23 campaign is just getting started.

Allen wrote:
> Kurtenbach: The Warriors’ kids have learned how to win. That changes
> everything for Golden State
> Golden State Warriors: The stellar play of Jordan Poole and Jonathan
> Kuminga rounds out the Warriors' rotation and gives Golden State an edge
> with Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins out of the lineup
> >Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga (00) and Golden State
> Warriors’ Jordan Poole (3) laugh after a foul against Boston Celtics’
> Marcus Smart (36) in the fourth quarter of their NBA game at Chase
> Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022. (Ray
> Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
> By DIETER KURTENBACH | dkurtenbach@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News
> Group
> PUBLISHED: December 30, 2022 at 5:00 a.m. | UPDATED: December 31, 2022
> at 12:08 p.m.
> https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/12/30/kurtenbach-the-warriors-kids-have-learned-how-to-win-that-changes-everything-for-golden-state/
>
>
>
> There’s an old adage in the NBA that the season doesn’t begin until
> Christmas.
>
> No team took it more to heart than the Golden State Warriors.
>
> The Warriors started the season — the actual season, which opens in
> October — winning only 15 of 33 games, an underwhelming performance
> following the team’s fourth title this past June.
>
> But then Christmas came, and the Warriors found under the tree their
> best form.
>
> After weeks of waining energy and focus, the Warriors locked in and blew
> out an outstanding Memphis Grizzlies team on the holiday, even without
> Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins.
>
> The Warriors then carried that same energy and focus into back-to-back
> wins over the Hornets and the Jazz.
>
> Friday, they added another win thanks to a brilliant late fourth-quarter
> push against the Blazers.
>
> This is the Warriors’ first four-game winning streak of the season, and
> there’s nothing flukey about it.
>
> Why? Because the Baby Dubs — namely Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga —
> are showing that they know how to play the Warriors’ way. Which is to
> say they have learned how to win in the NBA.
>
> That changes everything for Godlen State.
>
> >Golden State Warriors’ Jordan Poole (3) takes a shot during warmups
> before a game against the Utah Jazz at Chase Center in San Francisco,
> Calif., on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
>
> With Curry out of the lineup, the Warriors have leaned heavily on Klay
> Thompson and Draymond Green, and both have been marvelous this past week.
>
> But success for the Warriors is tied to Poole and Kuminga.
>
> The Warriors are leaning on both. And both players are showing they can
> handle the weight.
>
> Golden State has needed to lean on Poole to be the alpha on offense with
> Curry sidelined for 11 games this season. Up until this week, that had
> been a mixed bag. Poole’s play was far too mercurial, especially facing
> defenses that were paying Curry-like attention to him.
>
> The Warriors adapted to Poole, running high pick-and-roll with the
> 23-year-old guard.
>
> But that left most of the Warriors’ players scrambling to figure out a
> new role. The Warriors’ offensive system was built around Curry. The
> team was built around Curry. So while Poole spearheading the offense as
> a true point guard was an option for the Warriors, Golden State coach
> Steve Kerr has long challenged Poole to play off the ball. Not only does
> it better replicate the Warriors’ offense with Curry, but it also gives
> Poole cover from the hyper-focused defensive attention he was facing as
> a point guard.
>
> Playing the Curry role, off-ball, is anything but easy, though.
>
> With Donte DiVincenzo and Ty Jerome running point over the last three
> games, in particular, Poole has committed to emulating No. 30.
>
> That means running, running, and more running.
>
> Few players in the league cover more distance than Curry per game — 1.44
> miles per game on offense.
>
> But over the last three games, Poole covered 1.49 miles per game on
> offense per Second Spectrum Data. That’s a 20 percent increase on his
> average before Christmas.
>
> Poole is working hard off the ball, not necessarily because it will get
> him an open shot (though it often does) but because breaks down the
> connective tissue of the defense, giving someone on the Warriors an open
> shot. Add in his outstanding dribble penetration and increased
> free-throw rate, and the Warriors have a reasonable facsimile of Curry
> in Poole.
>
> The Warriors look like the Warriors again. The pieces of this puzzle fit
> together.
>
> Yes, Poole is now fully grasping a fundamental but difficult truth of
> winning basketball: you get what you give.
>
> By sacrificing himself for the benefit of his team, he is putting up
> great offensive numbers, and the Warriors are winning behind him.
>
> Kuminga has clearly taken to the lesson as well.
>
> >Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) advances the ball up court as
> Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga (00) defends in the first half
> of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. (AP
> Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
>
> >RELATED ARTICLES
>   Donte DiVincenzo knows a thing or two about winning. That experience
> is paying off with the Warriors
>   2022: The Year in Pictures
>   Jordan Poole scores 41 points, Klay Thompson adds 31 to extend
> Warriors’ win streak to four
>   Warriors center James Wiseman out with ankle sprain, Andrew Wiggins
> making progress
>   Former Warriors defensive ace Gary Payton II makes return to Chase
> Center
>
> The 20-year-old forward has slid in and out of the team’s rotation, but
> is a required member of it now with Wiggins sidelined.
>
> What the Warriors need from Kuminga right now is point-of-attack
> defense. It’s neither an easy nor fun job, for a player like Kuminga —
> once considered the best prospect in his draft class and one of the best
> athletes in the NBA — it’s a role that could be considered beneath him.
>
> But in recent games, Kuminga looks fully committed to that role. He’s
> thinking defense first — and because you get what you give, he’s finding
> himself in strong offensive positions, too.
>
> There was no better example than Friday night’s fourth quarter against
> the Blazers. Kuminga — playing with five fouls — was brilliant in
> defending Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons, elite offensive players
> much smaller than him, but not quicker.
>
> With Kuminga leading the charge on the perimeter and Green behind him,
> the Blazers scored two points in the final five minutes of Friday’s game.
>
> Kuminga, in turn, had two dunks, one on a great backdoor cut, the other
> in transition, started by an outstanding contest of a Simons shot.
>
> Kuminga’s current role is not dissimilar to what Wiggins was given in
> his first weeks playing with Curry, and what Gary Payton II played last
> year. The Warriors want to turn defense into offense — their play on the
> defensive end bleeds to the other end of the court, whether they like it
> or not. By tasking Wiggins and Payton II with top defensive jobs, they
> found a role on the team and great transition offense opportunities to
> showcase their athleticism.
>
> Then, in the half-court offense, Wiggins, Payton II, and now Kuminga
> were charged with working the baseline — shooting corner 3s, cutting
> when open, dunk whenever possible.
>
> Wiggins’ game expanded. Payton was immensely valuable as a power forward
> (despite being 6 feet tall) in the NBA Finals. Kuminga is setting a
> baseline — pardon the pun — for seemingly limitless future success.
>
> Poole and Kuminga’s play has been a huge part of the Warriors coming
> through in three clutch situations over the last three games.
>
> The Warriors were 5-10 in games that had a five-point or fewer margin
> with fewer than five minutes remaining before this week, in large part
> because it’s hard to trust young players to come through in those
> situations.
>
> Now they are. If it continues, the Warriors won’t need to worry about
> adding veterans to the mix before the trade deadline — the organization
> can maintain its dream of everlasting wins, provided by the team’s
> veterans and young guns.
>
> Poole and Kuminga will still make mistakes — there will still be
> out-of-control moments for young players.
>
> But the last week has shown the two’s immense progress. It’s crystal clear.
>
> The duo is building legitimate trust with Warriors coaches and teammates
> through the simplification of their games. It’s winning basketball, even
> without Curry and Wiggins.
>
> So you can imagine the level of play the Warriors can reach with those
> two back in the fold.
>
> Maybe the NBA season doesn’t start until Christmas.
>
> Because with Poole and Kuminga playing like reliable pros, the best part
> of the Dubs’ 2022-23 campaign is just getting started.