Biggest Surprises and Disappointments for Golden State Warriors
Despite dropping back-to-back games to the two residents of the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the Golden State Warriors still sit atop the NBA with a sterling 23-5 record. While the scorching hot start may come as a surprise to some, it’s just one of many in the early season.
Dominant play from unexpected sources has headlined the Warriors’ young season and helped catapult them to the top of the NBA.
Still, while trying to find fault in the best team in the league might seem like nitpicking, there are indeed nits to be picked. As silly as it may sound to be disappointed in a 23-5 record, a rash of injuries have prevented the Warriors from truly showcasing their potential.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the biggest surprises and disappointments of the Warriors’ young season.
Surprise: Marreese Speights
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Marreese Speights has been reborn this season, quieting all of the naysayers who ripped him to shreds last year. While he has cooled off a bit over the last few games, he’s still putting together a career year.
He’s scoring more than he ever has before, dropping 11.9 points per game at an efficient 52 percent from the field—both are career highs. His rebounding has also improved dramatically; it's back up to 5.1 per game, the second-highest mark of his career.
And he’s doing it all in just 17.4 minutes of action.
Even with Andre Iguodala coming off the bench, Speights has transformed into the Warriors’ most important reserve. With the team suffering numerous injuries in the frontcourt, Speights has helped keep Golden State afloat, while the injured giants recover.
Only time will tell if Speights can keep his magical run going, but as it stands, he has been one of the most pleasant surprises in a season full of them.
Disappointment: Andrew Bogut’s Injuries
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Andrew Bogut has had a run in the NBA that many players would gladly trade for. From being the first overall pick out of Utah in the 2005 NBA draft to receiving All-NBA third-team honors in 2010, he’s had quite a career.
That’s why it’s so disappointing to see what his legacy has become.
When healthy, Bogut is on the short list of the best defenders in the NBA. Whether he is blocking shots, providing elite help defense or simply covering up his teammates’ mistakes, Bogut is a game-changing talent.
Unfortunately for Bogut, the number of games that he can change is limited by the restrictions of his body. Staying on the court has proved to be the biggest challenge of the Australian’s career. Adding another knee injury to his already extensive list, Bogut has missed the last eight games.
The Warriors have unsurprisingly struggled in his absence, dropping games to some of the teams they would likely meet in the postseason, the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers.
His importance to the team is clear: Without him, the Warriors are a playoff team, nothing more. With him, they are legitimate championship contenders. His body has not allowed him to endure the rigors of a full NBA season in quite some time, but if he can come back and stay healthy for the rest of the journey, the Warriors should be considered favorites to bring home the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
Bogut's health is the team's lone weakness.
Surprise: Draymond Green
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Draymond Green has continued to improve every season he’s been in the league. Still, few could have expected the former second-round pick to be this good.
With David Lee missing the majority of the season, Green has held down the power forward position. While he was originally viewed as a placeholder for Lee, he’s earned the starting position outright.
Always known for his tenacious defense and hustle, Green has gradually added layers to his game, becoming a competent outside shooter and exceptional passer. His stats are up all across the board, as he is averaging 12.4 points per game, 3.3 assists and 8.0 rebounds.
He is the embodiment of the new-age power forward, slightly undersized at 6'7", 230 pounds but with the quickness to harass larger opponents. He’s also the type of hard-nosed player every team needs—one willing to defend his superstar and provide a spark when it’s needed.
Head coach Steve Kerr has had high praise of Green, saying, “He's in a lot of ways our heart and soul and just plays with such passion at both ends,” courtesy of Diamond Leung of the San Jose Mercury News.
Anyone who has watched the Warriors play this season is likely to agree with that statement. Green has become one of the integral parts of a championship contender.
Disappointment: Brandon Rush
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Much like Andrew Bogut, Brandon Rush’s career has recently been plagued by injury. After tearing both his ACL and MCL just two games into 2012-13 season with the Warriors, Rush missed the entire rest of the year, as well as much of the next one with the Utah Jazz.
Determined to get his career back on track, Rush found his way back to Golden State with the intention of once again becoming a solid role player.
Unfortunately for Rush, missing nearly two years of basketball builds a lot of rust, and he has not yet been able to rid himself of it. He has struggled to earn minutes in the stacked rotation, and when he has, the results have been underwhelming.
A career 40 percent shooter from outside, Rush has shot just .083 from three-point range this season. A player who cannot deliver on his greatest asset will always struggle to see the court, and that has ringed true for Rush.
Recently, rookie Justin Hunter has taken the minutes intended for Rush, and he has proved to mesh reasonably well with the starters. The time for Rush may already be over—another tragic result for a player who’s had more than his fair share of bad luck already.
Surprise: Stephen Curry as the MVP Favorite
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Stephen Curry proved long ago that he was a superstar in the NBA and one of the true faces of the Association. When it came to the MVP discussion, however, his name was rarely mentioned, as he was often overlooked for his peers.
There is no overlooking him this season.
Curry has wrestled away from Chris Paul the distinction of being the best point guard in the NBA this season, mixing incredible ball-handling, prodigious court vision and the greatest shooting in the world.
He was great last season, but the Warriors were merely good, especially in the stacked Western Conference. It’s been a different story this year, as Curry is once again the best player but on the best team in the league.
His numbers this year are astounding: 23.1 points, 7.7 assists and 5.2 rebounds. While his three-point shooting has dipped just a bit, he’s still the deadliest shooter in the game.
Obviously, Curry faces some stiff competition from some of the other giants of the game. James Harden continues to amaze in Houston. LeBron James is still LeBron James, and Anthony Davis is morphing into one of the most terrorizing two-way players the league has ever seen.
None of those players has led his team to the best record in the NBA, however, and in a league where that matters, Curry should be considered the front-runner for the MVP.
Disappointment: Festus Ezeli
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This has nothing to do with what Festus Ezeli has done on the court. It has everything to do with him not being able to stay on it.
Like Bogut and Rush, Ezeli has been stricken by the injury bug again. After missing all of last season with a knee injury, he finally made his return this year. While he had his highs and lows, having another big body to back up Bogut was a nice luxury.
Well, it was while it lasted anyway.
Ezeli is once again on the mend, nursing a sprained ankle. Fortunately for the Warriors, the injury is not considered serious, and he should be back on the court soon. With Bogut out indefinitely, the Warriors will need him.
The problem for Ezeli is that ankle injuries have a nasty history of manifesting at the worst of times, and with all that size and weight constantly coming down on them, the threat will always be there.
Ezeli is a young (25), promising player who already has a major injury on his resume. The last thing he needs is to be constantly felled by small injuries. Seeing him go down was disappointing, but if he can rebound from it quickly, it will just be a minor setback. If it becomes a nagging ailment, however, the disappointment can quickly swell.
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