Players Not Named Monta Ellis That Will Get The Warriors To The Playoffs

This may very well be Don Nelson's final year coaching in the National Basketball Association. With a Hall of Fame coaching career under his belt, Nelson still hasn't won a championship, and if that title is going to come this year, then it's going to rest on the performance of the Warriors' young and exciting talent.

So Monta Ellis is out until the end of December. That sentence alone sends shivers down my spine. Call me optimistic, however, but I'm just not ready to count this team's playoff chances out just yet. Last year, the Warriors got off to an 0-6 start while Captain Jack was serving his suspension, which proved to be critical in Golden State's season as they just barely missed the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

This season, with the basic swap of Baron Davis for Corey Maggette, the Warriors are going to have to at least play mediocre basketball while Ellis is out in order to contend down the road. Hoping they can at least have a .500 record upon his return, Ellis' spark should give a power surge to the team's performance on the court. However, this team alone at full strength may not be enough to get the Warriors past those other tough, competitive Western teams and into the playoffs.

What it will come down to will be the performance of three players: one that is coming into his second year in the league, one coming into his third, and one who will be putting on his Warriors jersey for the first time. Let's start with the third and move our way to the first.

Corey Maggette

This is the most obvious of the three because it's as simple as this: if Maggette doesn't score over 20 points per game, the Warriors will tank without Ellis in their lineup. He was a beast last year for the lifeless Clippers, scoring 22.1 points per game, and having to fill the shoes of Davis' 21.8, Maggette is going to prove that he can still be the scoring threat that he was last season.

Kelenna Azubuike

I don't know about you, but I was almost positive that Azubuike was gone after the Los Angeles Clippers made that offer in the offseason. However, the Warriors wisely matched and Azubuike finds himself still in the Bay Area (thankfully). With Ellis out for the time being, Azubuike, (probably more than any other player on the team,) is going to have to show his guts on the court.

Although he only averaged 8.5 points per game last season, it seemed like every single basket made was timely and key to a Warriors victory. If Kelenna keeps dropping those three-pointers and lives up to his potential this season, he'll easily average double digit points and find himself a crucial part to the Warriors' success.

Marco Belinelli

Don Nelson has never been too fond of playing young and inexperienced players, but trust me, Nelson knows what Belinelli is capable of and he'll let this guy shoot. In the Oct. 11th preseason game against the Thunder (still not used to that name), Belinelli carried the team with 22 points and 6 assists. The guy has ridiculous weapons—look for him to be the No. 1 weapon coming off the bench for Nelson this season.

I'm not predicting a championship. Too many things would have to go right for the Warriors to be that good, that soon. However, if these three players hold their own and Monta Ellis comes back strong for the Warriors, this team will find themselves in the postseason and as all Golden State fans know, anything can happen once you're in the playoffs.

-MM

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?