Warriors' Way-Too-Early Overreactions After 1st Week of 2023-24 Season

The Golden State Warriors made some significant shifts over the 2023 NBA offseason, but they stopped short of making wholesale changes.

Turns out, they're barely recognizable through the early going of the 2023-24 campaign.

Entering Wednesday night, they were winless at home and undefeated on the road. Their starting five hasn't been great, but the bench has been phenomenal. They can still win games with offense, but their dominant defense has proved more fruitful.

These Dubs are different, or so it seems so far, anyway. With such a small sample size, though, what can fans actually take away from the first week. To answer that, we'll fire off three early takes, then determine whether each is an overreaction or something that could sustain.

Jonathan Kuminga's Leap Isn't Happening

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 24: Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors shoots a free throw during the game against the Phoenix Suns on October 24, 2023 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/NBAE via Getty Images)

Expectations for Jonathan Kuminga have been enormous ever since the Dubs snatched him up with the No. 7 pick of the 2021 draft, but this year felt different. This was supposed to be the season in which he transformed from a luxury to a necessity, shattering his previous personal-bests and possibly pushing for his spot in the opening and closing groups.

Beyond acquiring a plug-and-play star, nothing would lift Golden State's ceiling higher than Kuminga making the leap. Based on what we've seen so far, that leap isn't happening. His 44.4/33.3/63.6 shooting slash has underwhelmed at every level, he's averaged more turnovers (2.3) than assists (0.7) and he has fouled at an alarming rate (4.0 fouls in 21.6 minutes per outing).

Verdict: Overreaction

While the Warriors could really use an ascension from the athletic swingman, they didn't need it to happen in the campaign's first week. He has played way less than you'd expect from a recent top-10 pick (career 18.9 minutes per game), meaning he hasn't encountered as many growing pains—let alone had the chance to learn from them—as his draft-lottery peers.

His game is still raw, and injuries (to his foot and knee) have limited his involvement. He just needs a little more time, and Golden State should be fine giving him that.

The Bench Is Fixed

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 30: Stephen Curry #30 and Chris Paul #3 of the Golden State Warriors look on during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans on October 30, 2023 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)

In years past, whenever Stephen Curry needed a breather, it was a great time for Golden State fans to step away from the action, too. Everything ground to a halt without him, and the Dubs could only hope they'd built a big enough lead with him to withstand an inevitable collapse.

Well, the arrival of Chris Paul—plus the addition of Dario Šarić, the emergence of Moses Moody and the presence of Gary Payton II—has seemingly solved that problem. In fact, Golden State's early on/off splits show the Warriors being much more formidable without Curry (plus-23.4 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com) than with him (plus-3.2).

Verdict: Not an overreaction

While you shouldn't expect Golden State to keep playing better without Curry, this second unit looks rock-solid.

Paul is a maestro on the court, and he already looks like he knows how to get everyone going. Šarić seemed like a snug system fit on paper, and he's lived up to that, despite struggling with his shot. Moody looks like he's building off a strong playoff showing. Payton is a tremendous defender whose offensive limitations are easily masked by high-end playmakers like Golden State has.

Andrew Wiggins Has Regressed

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 30: Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Golden State Warriors dribbles the ball during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans on October 30, 2023 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images)

Andrew Wiggins' arrival at the 2020 trade deadline felt like a career-changer. The same player who was plagued by an inconsistent jump shot and prone to bouts of lethargic play on defense suddenly emerged as a rock-solid, two-way wing who was arguably the second-best player in Golden State's playoff run to the 2022 title.

He hasn't been the same this season, though, and he's struggling in ways which make you wonder whether he's back to being a pumpkin. He has yet to log 30 minutes in a game and has more than twice as many turnovers (seven) as assists (three).

Verdict: Overreaction

Wiggins is 28 years old. This should be the heart of his prime. One rocky week doesn't change that.

Clearly, he needs to play better, but he obviously can. What we might be seeing more than anything is that Golden State has alternative sources of perimeter defense, athleticism and shot-making if Wiggins doesn't have it going.