Ranking Warriors' Most Valuable Players Throughout the Playoffs
The Golden State Warriors are one victory shy of their third title in four years and their official NBA dynasty designation.
Their All-Star collection is maybe the best ever assembled, and it can be as overwhelming as that sounds. There isn't as much depth as there has been, but the puzzle pieces have mostly fit where needed.
In other words, "Strength in Numbers" is more than a slogan. It epitomizes how this club has successfully conquered almost all challengers year after year.
But there's still a hierarchy within the ranks, one that has shape-shifted a few times this postseason to adjust to injuries. We have broken down the playoff pecking order here by assessing the value of each rotation player (minimum 100 minutes) using individual and team production, consistency, performance under high-pressure and notable impact on winning.
The Supporting Cast
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12. Quinn Cook
While he proved a steadying presence in the Stephen Curry-less stretch run, Cook has struggled to carry over that success into the postseason. He showed some flashes over the first two rounds but has mostly been an observer in the last two. Even his mini-eruptions have been lost in the shuffle; he's scored 10-plus four different times, but all of them came in double-digit wins—three of which were decided by 22-plus points.
11. Nick Young
This should be a shockingly low ranking given his opportunity. He's eighth on the team in playoff minutes, he's made two starts and he's essentially the only shooter in the reserve rotation.
The problem is the presumed spark plug has yet to ignite. He hasn't scored 10 points in any game and only topped five points three times. His postseason average of nine points per 36 minutes ranks 13th on the team. He's hitting just 30.6 percent of his field goals, 30.2 percent of his threes and 20 percent of his shots when a defender is within four feet.
10. David West
At times, the 37-year-old has lost fights both with Father Time and the modernization of playoff hoops. After playing a prominent role in the opening round, he's had his role greatly reduced since and didn't appear in three of the Western Conference Finals outings.
But he's been predictably steady when called upon, shooting 59.1 percent from the field and more than tripling his 10 turnovers with 31 assists. He also timed his lone triple of these playoffs perfectly, connecting on the momentum-booster late in the third quarter of Game 2 of the Finals. Draymond Green dubbed it "probably the biggest three of the game," per The Athletic's Anthony Slater.
9. Kevon Looney
Looney's tenure with the Warriors seemed left for dead when they declined his fourth-year option in October. But his improbably productive campaign has rolled right into the playoffs, where he's fifth on the team in total minutes.
His rebounding and defensive versatility have allowed him to be a mostly regular part of this rotation—he only played a second during Game 3 of the Finals. He's more of a safe option than a spectacular one, which helps him tread water but rarely make a noticeable splash. In 13 of his 20 appearances, his plus/minus has fallen in the near-neutral range between plus-seven and minus-three.
8. JaVale McGee
McGee is hard to miss in more ways than one. When he's playing, his aerial theatrics often jump off the screen. But he's flawed enough that there's rarely an uproar when head coach Steve Kerr leaves McGee out of the game plan entirely.
The end result is a tale of two postseasons. McGee has made seven starts over the first and championship rounds; he totaled 22 combined minutes during the conference semis and finals. The absences mute his value a bit, but his big nights have been critical. He's scored at least 10 points in four different games—two in the Finals—averaging 11.8 points on 77.8 percent shooting in those contests.
7. Jordan Bell
Have cash considerations ever yielded a bigger prize? Bell continues to look like a draft-night heist with an intriguing blend of per-36-minute marks including 10.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.4 steals.
The more the stakes have risen, the more he's seemed to thrive. Since the start of the conference finals, his plus-46 plus/minus trails only the four All-Stars. That number includes his game-high plus-17 mark in Game 7 of the previous round, when he tallied five boards, three assists, two blocks and a steal in under 16 minutes.
"We're thrilled with the way he's played and his future here," Kerr said, per Melissa Rohlin of the Bay Area News Group.
6. Shaun Livingston
While occasionally lost during the second- and third-round sprints, Livingston has dazzled in Golden State's two slowest series. When precision trumps pace, the savvy veteran usually leaves a major mark.
"He's a guy who gets it," Kerr said, per NBC Sports' Dan Feldman. "He understands how to play."
Livingston trails only the "Hamptons Five" in scoring (6.9 points per game), and he's outshooting all of them from the field (54.1 percent). He's been borderline perfect in the championship round, hitting 13 of his 14 shots (92.9 percent) and racking up six assists against a single turnover in 51 minutes.
5. Andre Iguodala
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Plus/minus isn't always the most informative statistic, but it might work best to define the value of Andre Iguodala.
Since joining the Warriors, his numbers have nosedived. Once a near-20-point scorer, he's no longer reliable for even 10 a night. His jumper comes and goes. His counting categories seem to underwhelm more often than not.
But as his plus/minus marks can attest, good things happen when he's in the game. During 10 of his 14 appearances this postseason, Golden State has outscored its opponent with him on the floor. Overall, he's a plus-99 in 379 minutes (plus-7.1 per game). He leads the regulars with a whopping plus-15.0 on-court net rating, and the Warriors have fared 6.9 points worse per 100 possessions without him.
He returned for Game 3 of the Finals after missing six straight contests with a bone bruise in his left knee. He suffered a contusion on his right leg and only logged 22 minutes—his fewest since early April.
He still tied for the night's second-highest plus/minus (plus-14), and the time he spent defending LeBron James helped keep Kevin Durant's legs fresh enough to explode for 43 points on 23 shots.
"LeBron's going to do what he does every single night, we know that. But having Andre out there for 20-plus minutes gave KD a little bit of a rest and gave Draymond [Green] a little bit of a rest and Klay [Thompson]," Kerr said, per Fred Kerber of the New York Post. "So we were able to stay fresher over the course of the game with Andre back."
4. Klay Thompson
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The Warriors can survive the occasional frigid night from Klay Thompson.
During his seven lowest scoring games this postseason, he averaged just 10.9 points on 30.6 percent shooting (30 percent outside). Golden State won four of those contests.
But when he catches fire, this team becomes borderline unbeatable. The Warriors are 9-2 this postseason when he reaches 20 points. That includes the had-to-have-it Game 6 victory over the Houston Rockets last round, when Thompson steamrolled his way to 35 points on 56.5 percent shooting (9-of-14 from range), six rebounds, four steals and two assists in 39 minutes.
"I guess you could say I was born for it," Thompson said afterward, per ESPN's Chris Haynes. "...When your back's against the wall, if your shot's not falling, you can always control your passion and how hard you play. Usually when I do that, it trickles over to other aspects of my game."
Thompson is the three-and-D prototype. He has the most threes this postseason (65) and the sixth-highest conversion rate among players with 50-plus attempts (42.8). He's also covered more ground than anyone (55.8 miles), which makes sense when he's routinely guarding the opposition's best guard.
Ranking him fourth feels like it fails to capture the depth of his two-way significance. But these are the Warriors—conventional wisdom rarely applies. Finishing fourth here means slotting in behind two MVPs and perhaps the Association's best defender.
3. Stephen Curry
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It feels strange slotting Stephen Curry as the third-most valuable Warrior in anything, even with the knowledge he's missed 30 percent of the postseason.
He's topped 25 points eight different times, seven of them Warriors' wins. He's had seven contests with at least five three-pointers, including a Finals record nine splashes in Game 2. He was magical in Game 7 of the conference finals, finishing with 27 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds and four steals.
He even made his roughest night memorable for the right reason. He scored seven of the team's final 14 points during Golden State's nail-biting 110-102 Game 3 Finals victory, capping an otherwise abysmal 3-of-16, 1-of-10 from three shooting night.
"Even though we held Steph to one three tonight, the one he made was huge," LeBron James said, per Daniel Brown of the Bay Area News Group. "Huge."
The cold night likely cost Curry his placement as clubhouse leader for Finals MVP, but he's capable of the kind of explosion needed to climb back up the ladder. Simply matching his output from the first two outings—31 points, 8.5 assists, seven threes, 6.5 rebounds per game—would make it interesting.
But he's stuck in the third spot here for two seasons.
For starters, his six absences can't be erased. He didn't even hit the hardwood until the second round, and his first game with 30-plus minutes was Golden State's ninth of the postseason. He also hasn't provided his normal statistical jolt to this system. There's often a deep divide between his on/off splits, but the Dubs have only been marginally better with him (plus-12.3) than without (plus-9.1).
2. Draymond Green
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Draymond Green's scoring and shooting stats rarely reflect his superstar status.
He's averaging 10.9 points per game and shooting 42.9 percent from the field (27.0 from deep). Yet he's still having a postseason for the ages.
Only four players have ever matched Green's per-game playoff line of 10.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.5 steals: LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd and Russell Westbrook. Add one block a night to the requirement, and it's only Green and James.
Green's game, though, is about more than numbers. As ESPN.com's Andre Snellings wrote ahead of the Finals, Green has molded his approach to fit wherever he's needed most:
"When Stephen Curry was out, he improved his playmaking. When Andre Iguodala had to sit, Green picked up his defense, and his versatility allowed the Dubs to sit most of their big-man rotation against the Rockets and still survive. Green is the defensive anchor, the vocal leader, the team's edge and the power generator of the four-time defending Western Conference champions."
The Warriors have trounced teams by 12.6 points per 100 possessions over Green's 780 minutes. They've been at their worst—admittedly, a relative term—during the 185 minutes he's sat (plus-3.4).
He could make a convincing argument for the No. 1 spot. But he's played more like the ultimate glue guy, whereas the highest-ranked player has controlled more contests as the centerpiece.
1. Kevin Durant
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Kevin Durant opened the Finals with 26 points, nine rebounds, six assists (against one turnover), three blocks, one steal and a game-high plus-17. But he wasn't thrilled with his shooting line: 8-of-22 from the field, 1-of-7 from distance.
"I didn't take smart shots," Durant said, per NBC Bay Area's Monte Poole. "I took risky looks. I took some shots that I know I can hit, but I'd rather get better shots than that. I'm not worried about my makes or misses. It's just more so am I getting good, quality shots? After that, the rest will figure itself out."
Someone should have warned the Cavs.
Durant has been busy redefining efficiency the last two games. He's scored 69 points and missed 12 shots. He's at 67.6 percent from the field, 66.7 percent from distance and a perfect 11-of-11 at the stripe. He also has 22 rebounds, 14 assists, two blocks and a steal to show for the outings. He had the high mark in plus/minus both times (plus-24 in Game 2, plus-15 in Game 3) and seemingly just delivered another series dagger.
This is the Durant who looks capable of coming for LeBron's crown. The same one who was a unanimous choice for 2017 Finals MVP.
He has had some peaks and valleys this postseason, but he's still averaging 29.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.1 blocks. The Dubs have been 9.2 points better per 100 possessions with him than without. He's finished among their top two in points, plus/minus or both during each of their three close-out victories.
No one has been more valuable to Golden State's playoff run, and Durant may soon have another piece of hardware reflecting that.
Unless otherwise indicated, all stats are from Basketball Reference or NBA.com.
Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @ZachBuckleyNBA.
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