Initial Report Card Grades for Every Key Golden State Warriors Player
The Golden State Warriors entered the season as a team expected to be dominant when healthy.
They have been just that, posting an 8-2 record with all five starters active.
There were also concerns about their durability, and they were expected to have trouble staying healthy.
That, too, has proven to be true as six significant players have missed time already.
As for the players who have stayed on the court for all or most of the team's games, their performances have been a mixed bag.
In this article, I will grade each player in the Warriors rotation based on how they have performed thus far in relation to what was expected of them before the season. Players with higher expectations will be rewarded for meeting or surpassing them more than those from whom less is expected.
All stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and HoopData.com.
Harrison Barnes
1 of 10
Expectations
After last year's brilliant postseason performance, Barnes was on the breakout radar for 2013-14. The addition of Andre Iguodala pushed Barnes to the bench, which knocked his expectations down from "breakout star" to "sixth man of the year candidate."
That still is an extremely tall order for a second-year player who only averaged 9.2 points and 4.1 rebounds on 43.9 percent shooting as a rookie.
Early Returns
Barnes missed the first four games of the season due to a foot injury, and he did take a few games to find a rhythm. After that, things took off as expected for the Black Falcon.
Barnes has averaged 16 points over the past five games and is shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from three-point range thus far.
The percentages may not last, but Barnes' scoring versatility is rare. He has the shooting skill, mid-range arsenal, ball-handling ability and athleticism to be a dangerous player off the ball, on the drive, in the high post and on the perimeter.
In 28.2 minutes a night, Barnes has been the Warriors best (and only) offensive option off the bench. If Barnes keeps his play up, the Warriors will have the NBA's best sixth man for a second-straight year.
Grade: B+
Andrew Bogut
2 of 10
Expectations
Few players faced as much skepticism as Andrew Bogut did leading up to the season.
Many other talented players—such as teammate Stephen Curry—face the "if 100 percent" caveat during prediction time. Bogut is different because there are various definitions of what 100 percent means for him at this point in his career.
Some believed that just staying on the court, blocking shots and rebounding were all that could be asked for from Bogut. Others said that he was in great shape, there's no reason he couldn't return to being the 13 PPG, 10 RPG, 2 BPG, 52.0 FG percentage player he was with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Early Returns
So far, Bogut has proven the pessimists wrong.
Bogut truly does look to be fully healthy and in great shape. He's running the floor like few other centers in the league are capable of. He's handling the ball, finding cutters and shooters, setting screens, crashing the boards, blocking shots and moving his feet quickly.
His 9.2 boards, 2.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.7 blocks in only 27.7 minutes are a testament to the big man's activity, versatility and natural talent. He may only be scoring 7.4 points, but he's doing so on 53.8 percent shooting. Without his awful free-throw shooting (46.2 percent) and foul trouble (3.8 per game), Bogut would be an All-Star candidate. If he stays healthy, of course.
Grade: A-
Stephen Curry
3 of 10
Expectations
"If 100 percent," Stephen Curry was fully expected by just about everyone to dominate this season.
Some thought he had an outside chance at an MVP award while others predicted nothing more than an All-Star appearance, but the range of expectations for Curry was essentially "very good" to "very great."
Early Returns
Let's just get the video game-like numbers out of the way. Curry is averaging 19.9 points, 8.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 3.2 made-threes a game. He is shooting 45.8 percent from the field, 43.8 percent from deep and 89.3 percent from the line.
To brush those numbers off as early-season anomalies would be to ignore the fact that his percentages thus far are all below his career averages. As for the counting stats, the steals and points are in line with his career, and the assists make sense when his targets include Barnes, Bogut, Iguodala, Klay Thompson and David Lee.
His current concussion is a cause for short-term concern, but when on the court, Curry should play at an elite level all season long.
Grade: A
Toney Douglas
4 of 10
Expectations
Toney Douglas was not going to be Jarrett Jack. Everyone knew this entering the season, and the team's more educated fans were okay with it. Barnes was to take over Jack's role as the sixth man and go-to bench scorer, while Iguodala was to be the team's No. 2 ball handler and facilitator.
As long as Douglas could run the point for eight-to-10 minutes a night, shoot a solid percentage from deep and play the superb perimeter defense that he is known for, he'd be serving his purpose.
Early Returns
Douglas injured his tibia only seven games into the season and has missed the last six contests as a result.
Before the injury, Douglas was playing good but not great defense (the 4.2 fouls he was committing per-36 minutes were too high). Offensively, Douglas was struggling to run the point, even for brief periods, as indicated by his 1.6 assists and 1.1 turnovers a night.
Douglas was at least connecting on threes, hitting 1.6 a game at a 44 percent clip. Unlike Curry, this number will drop.
Douglas cannot be blamed for his injury and certainly not for the injuries to Curry and Iguodala. But, combining the fact that Douglas was not able to run the point effectively when healthy with the Warriors' current health woes at that position makes Douglas' early performance a cause for concern.
Grade: D+
Draymond Green
5 of 10
Expectations
Entering the offseason, Draymond Green did not appear to be the likeliest candidate for improvement. He had a solid rookie year, but the forward's game is based around head, hustle and heart more than raw physical skill or innate natural ability.
However, Green dropped 15 pounds of fat over the summer, changing this perception. He proceeded to tear up the Las Vegas Summer League and entered 2013-14 looking like a potentially vital role player.
Early Returns
Much like Green's physical transformation, his on-court performance so far has been surprising.
First off, it seems as though Green's more athletic frame has improved his defense far more than his offense. Green has gone from being a hardworking defender, who was often beaten off the dribble and undersized in the post, to a pest on the perimeter and a surprisingly visible post presence.
He's also averaging 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks in only 17.9 minutes.
On the other side, his increased athleticism has not lead to better ball-handling, more drives or better finishes. He has, however, started knocking down the three-point shot that plagued him throughout his rookie season. After shooting 20.9 percent last year, he's up to 41.7 percent from deep this season.
If Green can continue to knock down the three, play good defense, rebound well and provide energy, he will indeed be an important piece of the Warriors puzzle.
Grade: B
Andre Iguodala
6 of 10
Expectations
No Warriors player, with the exception of Curry, faced as high expectations as Iguodala entering this season.
It was the pairing of Iguodala with Curry—the combination of a sharp-shooting, playmaking star with an attacking wing who could take Curry off the ball and play lockdown defense—that was supposed to take the Warriors from "dangerous" to "elite."
Early Returns
There may not be a player in the NBA who can make as big of an impact as Iguodala can while taking only 8.5 shots per game.
On the offensive end, he's served as the Warriors' No. 1 dribble penetrator, No. 1 slasher and as good a complimentary playmaker and scorer as there is in the league.
His passing ability is elite at the small forward position, and Curry and Thompson have gotten more open shots than ever as a result. When the defenses focus on the Warriors guards, Iguodala either gets left open for a three (47.9 percent this season) or mismatched on a point guard who he can post up.
Most importantly, he's elevated the Warriors from good to great defensively. His energetic and smothering perimeter defense and ability to guard bigger players in the post has him sitting right next to Bogut for defensive MVP of this team.
Numbers don't do justice to how good Iguodala has been; even though, those numbers look as good as this: 12.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.9 SPG, 54.5 FG percentage, 47.9 3PT percentage, 61.0 FT percentage. If Iguodala could hit free throws, he'd be up there with Curry as a dark horse MVP candidate.
Grade: A+
David Lee
7 of 10
Expectations
Lee may have had lower expectations entering this season than any reigning All-Star has had in the history of the NBA.
Some cited his torn hip flexor as an excuse, but the fact was that people simply forgot how valuable he was after the team made an exciting playoff run in his absence.
Despite averaging 18.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 51.9 percent shooting and leading the NBA in double-doubles, it was believed by many that Barnes would be a better fit at power forward and that Lee was better suited to come off the bench or be traded.
Early Returns
In a turn of events that should not have had to be a turn of events, Lee has surprised everyone by playing exactly the same way he has for the first eight years of his career.
The Golden State power forward is averaging 17.7 points and 9.2 rebounds on 51.1 percent shooting from the field and 80.6 percent from the line.
While he has not produced double-doubles at the rate he did last year, Lee has still been a model of consistency. He posted 10 points and one assist in every game so far this year and has only had one night without an offensive board.
Lee will never be a good defensive player, but his ability to contest jump shots and clear the glass minimize his shortcomings in the post. And when he does face impossible covers, he tends to negate their impact by putting up a monster offensive night.
Grade: A-
Jermaine O'Neal
8 of 10
Expectations
Jermaine O'Neal's time in the NBA is rapidly approaching its end, but he is still a very capable player. Even with most of his quickness, leaping ability, athleticism and scoring arsenal gone, O'Neal was able to post 8.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in just 18.7 minutes a game last season.
So, while the Warriors were able to sign the six-time All-Star for just $2 million, there was still an expectation that he would be an above-average backup center.
With Festus Ezeli out until late December or January and Bogut's injury history, O'Neal was going to be counted on to produce.
Early Returns
O'Neal has been overwhelmingly disappointing on the offensive end. Converting on only 36.8 percent of his attempts, the big man has posted a PER of 9.9. His post game is nearly gone, which is a problem considering that the other second-unit big—Marreese Speights—has no post game to speak of.
Defensively, O'Neal has been a little bit better. He has done a solid job of clogging the lane and has blocked 1.1 shots a game, a very strong number for just 17.3 minutes of floor time.
Nine games into the season, however, O'Neal seemingly collapsed under his own weight, straining his groin and spraining his knee. The injury was not all that serious, but one has to wonder if the 35-year-old will be able to stay on the court consistently this season.
Grade: C-
Marreese Speights
9 of 10
Expectations
Perhaps unfairly, Speights was brought in to fill the void left by Carl Landry.
While everyone knew Speights was not the physical, relentless post scorer Landry was, his ability to rebound, play decent defense and knock down mid-range jumpers was supposed to mitigate the impact of Landry's departure.
Early Returns
There is no nice way to put it; Speights has been pathetic this season.
If his problem was simply that his jumper wasn't falling (29.9 percent from the field this year), it would be early enough to let that slide. But, Speights' jumper is the least of his worries right now.
The power forward has not been able to set screens, deliver passes, make cuts or even clear out of the way on offense. Defensively, he has been toyed with in the post and abused on the glass. Speights has committed 3.1 turnovers and 5.1 fouls per 36 minutes.
When his body is on the court, his head clearly is not. Mark Jackson knows this, and Speights has only played 12.5 minutes a game as a result. This, too, has hurt the Dubs, as injuries to Ezeli, O'Neal, Iguodala and Ognjen Kuzmic have left Speights and Green as the only two forwards on Golden State's bench.
If he cannot turn his game around soon, the Warriors will almost be forced to make a trade or a free-agent signing.
Grade: F
Klay Thompson
10 of 10
Expectations
Entering his second year in the NBA, Thompson was projected by many to be a breakout star. This did not happen; his counting numbers went up due to minute increases while his shooting percentage actually dropped.
He did hit 211 three-pointers as an NBA sophomore but failed to develop into an upper-echelon shooting guard.
Because of his seemingly stagnated development, another dominant shooting season with minimal improvement elsewhere was expected.
Early Returns
Thompson's breakout campaign has come a year later than expected, but it is here.
Through 13 games, the Warriors guard is averaging 20.5 points on 50.3 percent shooting from the field and 47.8 percent from beyond the arc. He has not only been the league's most prolific three-point shooter, but he has scored from the high post, on the drive and in transition.
Thompson is still not an all-around player. His ball handling has a ways to go, his playmaking ability is minimal and he does not rebound well for his size.
Still, he is making strides in that direction. He is a quality perimeter defender and has vastly improved in his decision-making—his shot selection is excellent and he's nearly cut his turnovers per minute in half.
He's still not an elite all-around player, but Thompson is finally having that breakout season.
Grade: A-
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