Slumping Warriors Players Who Need to Step Up
The Golden State Warriors were never going to have the smoothest 2020-21 season once Klay Thompson was lost to a torn Achilles, but that doesn't mean the early turbulence the team is encountering should be swept aside.
There are some major concerns surfacing with this roster. Basically, if it doesn't involve Stephen Curry's offense, Draymond Green's defense or James Wiseman's flashes of electricity, it probably isn't great.
While several factors have contributed to the Warriors' sluggish start, the following three players have been especially slow out of the starting gate.
Andrew Wiggins
1 of 3
Remember when there was hope that Golden State's system might be the key that finally unlocks the potential of 2014's top draft pick?
Turns out, once an Andrew Wiggins, always an Andrew Wiggins.
Save for an encouraging 39.4 percent splash rate from three, his stat sheet runs uncomfortably low on optimism. His scoring volume has been quieted (17.6 points per game), and his shooting is just as inefficient as ever.
Since 2010, only 14 players have averaged at least 17 points while posting a sub-50 true shooting percentage. Wiggins is on course to become only the third with multiple such seasons during this stretch. It might be impossible to overstate just how disappointing that is for someone serving as his club's No. 2 option.
Kelly Oubre Jr.
2 of 3
The Warriors are big believers in Kelly Oubre Jr.
This is when you, playing the role of studio audience, are supposed to chime in with a "How big of believers are they?" It's OK, we'll work on it. It's a long season, folks.
Well, the Dubs trust Oubre's talent so much they brought him on board despite needing to weather an $82.4 million hit to do so. That was always a wildly inflated rate for someone of his skill level, but it's growing exponentially more egregious with each errant shot attempt.
His field-goal percentage has flatlined to just 34.1. He has misfired on all but six of his 36 long-range looks (an unsightly 16.7 percent success rate). Take his 16 at-rim makes out of the equation, and he's an atrocious 14-of-64 (21.9 percent) on the season.
Brad Wanamaker
3 of 3
Golden State seemingly took on little-to-no risk when it coaxed Brad Wanamaker to Northern California with only a one-year, $2.25 million deal.
The 31-year-old had spent the past two seasons securing and managing a regular rotation role with the Boston Celtics. While never one to knock your socks off numbers-wise, he could run an offense, hold his own on defense and fill in the cracks however needed.
Well, the Warriors are still searching for any consistency from the suddenly unreliable Wanamaker.
He's shooting just 31.0 percent from the field and 18.2 percent from distance. Glue guys may not always impress on the stat sheet, but no amount of "the little things" can compensate for this level of bricklaying.
All stats current through games played on Jan. 5 and courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.
