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#3 The Golden State Warriors' bench had some good moments, but it wasn't elite
Eric Paschall and Jordan Poole were solid players for the Golden State Warriors off the bench anytime they were available for Steve Kerr. Paschall, who had to endure some injuries and played only 40 games, had a good sophomore season, giving the team 9.5 points per game off the bench with 49/33/71 shooting splits.
On the other side, Poole was fourth on the team in scoring, but he appeared in only 51 of the Golden State Warriors' 72 regular-season games. He averaged 12 points per game on 43/35/88 shooting splits in 51 games (seven starts) and was third on the team in three-point baskets (97).
Still, the Golden State Warriors' bench was not among the NBA's elite, and that would've certainly been helpful for the team's struggling offense outside Stephen Curry.
The bench was not bad, but it only ranked 16th in the NBA in points per game (36.1), 13th in field-goal percentage (46%) and 12th in three-point shooting.
#2 Kelly Oubre Jr. didn't have a great year from the three-point line
Kelly Oubre Jr. arrived to the Golden State Warriors before the 2020-21 NBA season started. Oubre was traded by the Phoenix Suns to the OKC Thunder in the Chris Paul trade on November 16th, 2020. Then, the Golden State Warriors acquired him six days later in exchange for draft picks.
Oubre Jr. was coming off the best offensive year of his NBA career as he averaged 18.7 points per game for the Phoenix Suns in the 2019-20 season with 45/35/78 shooting splits.
However, Oubre's first year with the Golden State Warriors was difficult, especially early in the year. Oubre eventually managed to average 15.4 points and 6 rebounds per game as coach Kerr gave him the confidence to start in 50 of his 55 appearances.
Still, his efficiency was not there, even though chances were roughly the same as his previous season with the Phoenix Suns. Oubre put up 43/31/69 shooting splits in the 2020-21 NBA season and ranked 148th out of 155 qualified three-point shooters in the entire league.
#1 Klay Thompson's injury in the NBA pre-season
Well, this is arguably one of the five most impactful injuries of the 2020-21 NBA regular season, and it happened before it even started. Klay Thompson was sidelined for the entire 2019-20 NBA season after tearing his ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals.
However, the five-time All-Star and three-time NBA champion was set to return for the Golden State Warriors in the 2020-21 NBA season, and the team was starting to be considered among the contenders, with Thompson and Stephen Curry healthy.
Around a month before the start of the 2020-21 NBA season, Thompson ruptured his right Achilles tendon and was forced to miss an entire NBA season for the second consecutive campaign.
It definitely hurt the Golden State Warriors, as the return of the two-time All-NBA and All-Defensive shooting guard would've been essential for the team on both ends of the floor.
Also read: 5 NBA players who could decline their contract options to become free agents in the 2021 offseason
