Final Regular-Season Grades for Every Golden State Warriors Player

The Golden State Warriors aced their regular-season exam with the highest win total in franchise history. Each player, led by MVP candidate Stephen Curry, had a major impact on this unbelievable season and hopes to impress with the final regular-season grades.

This campaign was filled with highlights like Curry’s 51-point game, Klay Thompson’s 52-point game, which included a 37-point third quarter, and Draymond Green dominating everywhere on both sides of the ball. Andrew Bogut suffered an early-season injury, but he currently holds the league's second-highest defensive rating going into the final game of the regular season, per Basketball-Reference.com.

With Golden State's final regular-season game being played on Wednesday, April 15, it’s time to review all of the exams and dole out grades for every Warrior.

The Reserves

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Brandon Rush did not impress in his little time this season.

Brandon Rush: D+

Brandon Rush was an important cog in his last go-around with the Warriors, but he hasn’t even made a dent this season.

Rush has scored a total of 25 points this season. Yes, I said 25.

He has missed all of the relevant minutes this season, but he has a player option for the 2015-16 season. If he accepts the option, his future is very unclear.

Ognjen Kuzmic:  C

Ognjen Kuzmic was once again an afterthought this season, as he was more active with the Santa Cruz Warriors than with the big league club.

He appeared in fewer games with the Golden State Warriors this year (16) than he did in his rookie year (21). However, the center did improve his line, but averaged only 1.3 PPG, 1.1 RPG and 0.4 APG.

Kuzmic will become a restricted free agent at the end of the 2014-15 season, so next year is still a question mark.

James Michael McAdoo: B-

James Michael McAdoo got his introduction to the NBA via a 10-day contract and impressed the Warriors enough that they kept him for the remainder of the season.

He is a big man that is still developing his game, but McAdoo provides high energy when he is on the court. He will continue the travel back and forth between Oakland and Santa Cruz’s D-League team.

McAdoo averaged 3.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 14 games this year.

Justin Holiday: B-

Justin Holiday has had a roller-coaster season, as he started on the bench, found quality minutes and eventually returned to a smaller role.

He provides solid defense with his quickness and wingspan, and although he is still a little clumsy on offense, he can hit the key jumper at times or finish at the rim.

He has a $1.1 million qualifying offer for next season, and with the Warriors looking to be over the cap, he will likely return and improve his skills.

He is averaging 4.1 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists in just over 11 minutes per game.

Festus Ezeli: B

Festus Ezeli finally became healthy enough to earn minutes as the true backup to center Andrew Bogut. Ezeli has missed a lot of time over the past two years, as right knee surgery kept him out all of last season and a left ankle sprain sidelined him for a large portion of this year's campaign.

When he did return, he showed that his game had evolved from his rookie season, as his defense stayed menacing and his offensivee game improved.

Expect Ezeli to get limited but quality minutes during playoff time. He will be needed if Golden State faces a more physical opponent.

For the season, Ezeli put up a line of 4.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks.

Leandro Barbosa: B

Leandro Barbosa has had an up-and-down season, as he started the year off strong for the first five games, then lost his way—and his minutes—thereafter.

Since the start of February, though, he has regained his productivity and been given a regular role.

"The Brazilian Blur" has been aggressive going to the hole or pulling up for the jumper, and he still has a solid handle and can contribute quickly off the bench.

Since Barbosa holds the most playoff experience on this relatively young team, expect head coach Steve Kerr to use him sporadically throughout the playoffs to give the offense a jolt.

Barbosa had a line of 7.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists this season.

David Lee: B

David Lee should earn some points just for being a team player after having his position taken by Draymond Green at the start of the season (partially due to a left hamstring injury). Lee showed no problems with the lesser role, even when Coach Kerr gave him a few DNP-coach’s decisions for tough matchups.

Per Janie McCauley of The Associated Press (via the San Francisco Chronicle), Lee sees the bigger picture:

"

First of all, I still have a job, and that's to be cheering on my teammates. When we get a win, to me it's a successful day. You realize that there have been plenty of times I've been the one out there playing 40 minutes and there have been guys that haven't gotten in.

"

The former All-Star took advantage of his new role. He didn’t get the same minutes, but on more nights than most, he had a better matchup.

Per Basketball-Reference.com, Lee also posted the best defensive rating of his career with the help of assistant coach Ron Adams.

With the lower appearance rate, Lee averaged only 7.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists.

Shaun Livingston: B+

Shaun Livingston continued his comeback by having a solid season as the backup point guard to arguably the most exciting player in the NBA.

His style contrasts to Stephen Curry's, as Livingston doesn’t shoot the three-pointer, but successfully posts up against his opponents instead. He did a good job handling the ball for the second unit, posting an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.51.

Livingston completed his main task this season, in that he kept Curry’s minutes per game under the 33-minute mark. Livingston also converted a significant amount of his opportunities by shooting just under 50 percent on the season.

In a little under 19 minutes per game, Livingston averaged 5.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

Andre Iguodala: B+

Andre Iguodala took a longer time to adjust to his first bench role, looking less aggressive and passing up a lot of shots at the start of the season.

For the last month or two of the regular season, Iguodala has turned on the jets. He has played at a far more frenetic pace and made a lot of highlight-reel plays.

Coach Kerr will be happy to use that tenacity in the playoffs.

Iguodala can be placed at almost any position on the court and does a very good job of handling the ball as a point forward.

He will be used interchangeably in the first and second unit during the playoffs depending on the matchups, and his defensive skills will definitely put him on the court during crunch time.

For the season, Iguodala averaged 7.9 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 3.0 APG.

Harrison Barnes: B+

Harrison Barnes made a solid transition when he got his starting gig back at the beginning of the season. He was much more fluid in the motion offense instead of leaning on the heavy isolation style that was on display last year.

He became more physical and was able to play both forward positions. Barnes also showed his athletic side with his high-flying slams and movement without the ball.

The offensive style has worked, as his shooting percentages have increased to 48 percent from the field and almost 40 percent from deep, as Barnes has become a lot more comfortable taking the corner three-pointer.

Barnes still has some nights when his work is not reflected on the scoreboard, but he should continue to grow and be an asset in the playoffs.

His season line shows the bump with averages of 10.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

Marreese Speights: A-

Marreese Speights did a complete U-turn from last year’s performance, bringing confidence, shooting and toughness to his front-line position this season.

His game speaks for itself, as he was able to space the floor and force big men out near the arc. Speights shot 49.4 percent from the field and 50 percent between 10-16 feet this season.

He brought the big-man perimeter game that the team received from David Lee over the past four years.

"Mo Buckets" has earned time as a backup center or power forward in Kerr’s playoff rotation, and he has had success playing whatever role he's been given this season.

Speights has a $3.815 million player option for next season, and as a great fit with the chemistry on this team, it would be nice to have him back at that price.

Speights averaged 10.3 points, 4.2 boards and 1.0 assists this season.

Andrew Bogut: A

Andrew Bogut made it through the regular season with only one injury (chondromalacia), which was treated through a platelet-rich plasma therapy process.

Bogut will play in over 65 games this season, which could make him a wealthier man if he claims one of the rewards listed on his contract. He is healthy entering the playoffs, and the center's presence is a major key to Golden State’s title chances.

His stat line does not really stand out with averages of 6.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 blocks. However, as the team's defensive captain and voice, he provides a huge benefit to the team.

Bogut leads the NBA in defensive box plus-minus (5.5), per Basketball-Reference.com, and he also leads the league in defensive real plus-minus (plus-6.02), per ESPN.com.

Although his statistics don’t show it, Bogut makes the offense move at the top of the arc with his passes and screen-setting ability. He also has a pretty good combination with Curry as the assister or the finisher.

The Warriors, and the NBA as a whole, were able to see the true value of a healthy Bogut this season. The team's record is 57-9 when he plays and only 9-6 when he sits.

Draymond Green: A

Draymond Green walked onto the court this season and made it his own. He made David Lee a total afterthought and played the stretch 4 role that Kerr craved. He also brought the physical presence that this team needed and was another valuable weapon on defense.

As a result, Green is in serious consideration for both the Most Improved Player and Defensive Player of the Year awards. Green is fourth in defensive rating and second in defensive win shares, per Basketball-Reference.com.

He is refining his offensive game by being able to drive the entire court and finish. On top of that, he has a genius-level basketball IQ and all of the intangibles.

Per Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, Curry described what Green brings to the table:

"

You really can't put him in any kind of box. He plays defense well against pretty much all five positions. He can knock down the three-ball. He can make plays off the dribble. He just has a competitiveness about him that speaks volumes of kind of overcoming a lot. Not having a set position when he came into the league, being a second-round draft pick. He found a way to impact this team and set himself up for a long career in the NBA.

"

Green will get a huge pay raise this summer, and the Warriors brass hope he will be back in Oakland. Green has averaged 11.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks in his do-everything role.

Klay Thompson: A

Klay Thompson took the next step this year in adding another piece to his game, as he became more aggressive off the dribble.

Thompson was so forceful that he made the highlight reel many times with posterizing slams and layups, finishing the season with a career-high 21 dunks.

The key result to his newfound assertiveness was increasing his trips to the charity stripe from 2.3 last year to 3.3 this campaign.

The space created by defenders having to take a half-step back gave him more space to shoot, and he posted career-high percentages from inside and outside the arc as a result.

Thompson’s biggest offensive accomplishment of the year was his lights-out 37-point quarter and 52-point game in the 126-101 win against the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 24. He also impressed in the 111-107 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on April 13, going for 42 points on 8-of-10 shooting from downtown.

On defense, he limited one of the other MVP candidates, James Harden, to just 40.5 percent shooting from the field (24.1 percent from behind the arc) in four victories over the Houston Rockets.

Thompson was a starter on All-Star team and on the year, he provided 21.6 points, 3.2 boards, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals.

Stephen Curry: A+

MVP!! MVP!!

Stephen Curry did everything he could to win the award this year. He can’t do any more, as it is now in the voters’ hands.

He did a bit of everything this season as he created and entertained arguably better than any other player in the league.

He led his team to the NBA’s best record by a large margin, even having a double-digit lead in the extremely competitive Western Conference.

Did I mention that he also obliterated his old single-season three-point record this season (which he previously set last year)?

He was also a lot better this year on defense, as Curry wanted to become an elite player. He ranked at the top of the steals category primarily because of his excellent hand-eye coordination and positioning.

He was the starting point guard at the All-Star Game once again after earning a lot more notoriety this season—his jersey sales even ranked second behind only LeBron James for the 2014-15 season.

He got to this level with his quick and smooth jumper, the ability to find teammates in transition and being able to break through defensive schemes.

The key stat that shows Curry's value is the on-off metric, as the team was better by a 17.5-point margin when Curry was on the floor.

The next personal and team goal will most likely be to win a title.

On the year, Curry averaged 23.9 points, 7.7 assists and 2.0 steals.

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