Warriors' Biggest Early-Season Surprises

The Golden State Warriors came into the 2020-21 campaign long on question marks and short on certainties.

MVP behavior was hoped for—if not outright expected—from Stephen Curry. Ditto for dominant defense and copious amounts of point-forward wizardry from Draymond Green.

But beyond that...let's just say the opportunities for surprises weren't short on supply.

The Dubs haven't disappointed in that department. With more than a quarter of the campaign already in the books, we've spotlighted three of the biggest surprises—for better and worse—around this squad.

Andrew Wiggins' Rim Protection

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

It isn't shocking to see Golden State slotted in the upper-half of teams in blocks. James Wiseman injected this frontcourt with loads of length and athleticism, and a recharged Draymond Green figured to be a defensive pest around the basket.

But those aren't the biggest reasons why the Dubs are routinely denying opponents at the basket. Instead, that distinction goes to Andrew Wiggins, who has never made better use of his physical tools at basketball's less glamorous end.

The former No. 1 pick is averaging a career-best 1.4 blocks per game and already has as many outings with three-plus rejections as he did all of last season (five).

"I feel like I'm getting after it defensively," Wiggins told reporters. "Aggressive, pressuring, having fun doing it. The system we got defensively, I feel like it works and it favors me."

Golden State's system figured to give Wiggins a jolt in offensive efficiency (and has), but it seems to be equally beneficial on defense.

Kelly Oubre Jr.'s Funk

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

When Klay Thompson's Achilles tear sent the Warriors scrambling for a last-minute replacement, they parted with a pair of draft picks to presumably acquire Kelly Oubre Jr.

But the player running around with the No. 12 jersey that has Oubre Jr. stitched across the back isn't the one they had in mind.

The Oubre they thought they were getting averaged better than 18 points per night and shot 35.2 percent from three on moderately high volume for the Phoenix Suns last season. The one they actually received is averaging his fewest points per 36 minutes in three seasons (15.6) and shooting career-worst rates from the field (37.6) and from distance (23.1).

He's never had a lower true shooting percentage (46.4) and hasn't posted a box plus/minus this bad since his rookie year (-4.4). For all of the question marks about this roster, Oubre was supposed to be one of the more reliable role players. He's been anything but through his first 21 games with Golden State.

Kevon Looney's Playmaking

Matt York/Associated Press

When Kevon Looney landed with the Warriors as the 30th overall pick in 2015, the Dubs Dynasty was already rolling. By the time he was healthy enough to work his way into the rotation, they could only carve out a small, specific role built around hustle, solid screens and glass-cleaning.

That meant the intriguing face-up game he'd flashed at UCLA was largely unneeded. With Golden State's revamped roster, though, his familiarity with the system and reliable production has allowed him to tap further into his skill set.

The result has been a perked-up passing game that not only ranks as Looney's best (by a wide margin), it has actually moved him into one of the more prominent playmaking positions on the roster. His 4.3 assists per 36 minutes tower over his previous best (3.0) and put him fourth among rotation regulars behind only Draymond Green, Stephen Curry and Brad Wanamaker.

While some early-season surprises won't stand the test of time, Looney's growth in this area might just be getting started. In his five games since joining the starting group, he's delivered four of the seven outings in which he's recorded at least three assists.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.