The Golden State Warriors went from looking like an elite offense without Stephen Curry active to a supporting cast that requires the reinforcements they were predicted to need in the preseason.
Steph Curry-less Warriors were inefficient in Thunder loss
The Warriors dropped their third straight game and fell to 12-6 in their 105-101 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. Curry was sidelined for the contest with a knee ailment. Golden State could not get going from the field, as Jonathan Kuminga (8-21 FG), Andrew Wiggins (4-16 FG), and Lindy Waters III (1-7 FG) noticeably struggled on the affair.
The Athletic’s Anthony Slater unearthed this nugget from the loss which shows the need the Warriors have for one of their other stars to step up or to find one elsewhere who can:
“The Warriors couldn’t score in clutch time against the Thunder without Steph Curry. Zero points from the 5:45 mark to the 19-second mark of the 4Q. Nine straight empty possessions. Up 96-93 and lost 105-101. Record: 12-6. Three straight Ls,” Slater published on X.
Warriors need Andrew Wiggins to be an elite scorer
Wiggins not asserting himself as the scorer he’s capable of being is a major concern for the Dubs. Without Klay Thompson in town, the Warriors need a second option that can flirt with averaging 25 points per game.
The basketball world has seen the Kansas product be that guy. He put up 23.6 PPG in 2016-17 and 21.8 PPG in 2019-20. As a more polished product with a championship under his belt, the Warriors will need more from him than the 12.8 field goals he’s taking per night. Seeing that he’s turning those opportunities into 17.4 PPG while knocking down a career-high 41 percent of his threes, there’s no telling how dangerous he could be if he sees north of 16 shots a night.
Will the Dubs increase Moses Moody’s role?
Another concern has been the underutilization of Moses Moody in the lineup. Curry’s absence figured to open more chances for the talented young scorer to show his stuff. Instead, he saw a mere 13 minutes against OKC and went scoreless. It’s unclear the direction that the franchise wants to go with the Arkansas native. Nevertheless, him not starting or seeing increased minutes begs to question if the team has the bench scorer they need to make noise throughout the campaign, and are just not using him enough.
It’s no secret that Golden State has talent around Curry. However, should Wiggins not put his foot on the gas, the front office may need to consider trading for a dynamic No. 2 option. They’ve been tied to Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler and disgruntled Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo this fall. Additionally, the Warriors may need a sizable two-way center who can beef up their defense and add more interior scoring to their offense.
Warriors could flip guard talent for 3rd star
Encouragingly, Golden State’s bench is stout. Buddy Hield is one of the best second-unit scorers in the league. Kyle Anderson is a high-IQ impact player. Kevon Looney is one of the most underrated rebounders of this generation and Gary Payton II is an elite defensive specialist. That being said, the Warriors could unload some of the depth they have at guard, like Moody, Waters IIi, Brandin Podziemski, and the hurt De’Anthony Melton to bring in a star talent.
While the Warriors are among the best teams in the Western Conference standings, they look like a team that needs a couple more ingredients to win another title come June.
