Golden State Warriors: Midseason Report Card
The Golden State Warriors are running through competition but why should that be a surprise? The team is loaded with four All-Stars, has been to the NBA Finals two straight seasons and are coming off a 73-win campaign. But, this is a much different team than previous years. The Warriors built themselves on offense but had a strong defensive presence. The 2016-17 season is all offense but the team has not suffered. They will hit the Midseason with a record of 47-9, not just best in the Western Conference but the NBA.
Here is the Golden State Warriors Midseason Report Card.
Guards
Considered to be the best in the NBA, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson feed off one another like no other. If one is cold, the other is hot and if they both heat up at the same time, oh boy. Curry has a per of 25 points and six assists, Thompson, 22 points. But, the production doesn’t end there. There is still super sub, Shawn Livingston who averages only 17 minutes but he does enough to hold the second unit down while Curry gets a breather. Patrick McGraw and Ian Clark has played stellar in their time given, plus learning from two of the best will set them up great for the future. Grade A+
Forwards
How do you define a frontcourt that features Kevin Durant and Draymond Green? Both are dangerous in the open and in the halfcourt set. Durant is possibly on his way to a second MVP Award and Green has put his scoring skills to the back and focused on the little intangibles that make the Warriors so great. Andre Iguodala still serves as the top frontcourt reserve with his versatile play and the addition of Davis West will pay off come playoff time with his experience. Grade A+
Centers
This is the one area where the Warriors are weak. When Andrew Bogut went down in the NBA finals in 2016 the team proceeded to lose three straight to the Cleveland Cavaliers. It wasn’t about the scoring, it was the defense. Now, Zaza Pachulia patrols the middle and he has struggled a bit. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Warriors make a trade to shore up the defensive front. But, that’s the glory with the Warriors. Their bigs are not required to do too much but there still needs to be a presence on the glass and defensive end of the floor. The bench is coming on as late and Javale McGee has relished in his role. Not sure if Kerr is willing to make a McGee for Pachulia swap in the lineup but it may be worth the risk. Grade C-
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
