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On March 23, in Stephen Curry's first appearance after missing two weeks nursing an ankle injury, he re-injured himself. This time, it was his left knee that Javale McGee came tumbling upon, and it certainly was not the first time that a Warriors center injured a teammate. As details of his Grade 2 MCL sprain emerged, memories of his injury riddled 2016 playoff run haunted him with the playoffs approaching. The Warriors need a savior and they need one soon.
Here's a look at the Golden State Warriors' best options heading into the 2018 NBA Playoffs. With noteworthy hurdles ahead of them, such as, the San Antonio Spurs who they are currently facing in the Western Conference First Round, or the victor of the Portland Trailblazers-New Orleans Pelicans series, someone or the other has to step into the key role of leadership that Curry has left vacant.
Draymond Green
There is no argument about the fact that Draymond Green, the Michigan State product drafted in the second round of 2012, is the 'heart and soul' of the Warriors' franchise. But did you know that the Golden State Warriors' offensive Rating for the 2018 season remained almost the same when Draymond Green was on the court, in fact it dipped by a narrow 0.2 margin?
Yes, the 'D' in Draymond certainly counts for something as the Defensive Rating of the team improves by 3.9 with his on-court presence. But despite being an all-around unselfish player, he really needs Steph Curry with him to execute the Warriors' trademark motion offense, or as Kobe Bryant calls it, 'The Golden Democracy'.
From the Warriors' offensive schemes, Draymond Green's function is to set up camp in the high or mid-post area and swing passes which he receives from players on the wing. Now, with more offensive duties to handle, it is very likely that Coach Steve Kerr will be bringing him up towards the 3-point line to receive the ball and run the offense. Although it is likely that his scoring averages for the postseason will hit a dip with more opposing teams' defenses more focused on him, he should more than compensate with improved assist numbers as he is undoubtedly the best passer at his position and their best bet left on the floor.
Quinn Cook
Surprised? In February, as Quinn Cook took the floor for his second G-League All-Star game, he would have never imagined that he'd be playing a pivotal role for the NBA Champs on the biggest stage. Never one to give up faith, this young star in the making was not heralded like all the other youngsters making it into the league.
While other players in his class were leaving college for the NBA after their first or second years, he played all four years at Duke University, under Team USA Coach Mike Krzyzewski, eventually winning the NCAA tournament in his last year. After going undrafted, he turned down many lucrative offers he received to play overseas and decided to stick with his NBA dream in the G-League.
Soon, his impact showed both ways as he won the NBA G-League Rookie of the year and played for the Canton Charge and Santa Cruz Warriors over a span of two years. Occasionally receiving ten-day offers and call ups by NBA teams, he signed a two-way contract with the Warriors in early October.
He often joined the team for practices but never received much playing time from Golden State. When the first Curry injury (Ankle) hit on 3rd March, it was an opportune moment for him to step up and so he did. Cook registered a career-high 25 points in a match against the Sacramento Kings, followed by a 28-point outburst the very next night, and finally a 30-point explosion later that month.
His performances were absolutely unheard of for such a recent G-League call-up and so he started garnering attention league-wide. The Golden State Warriors' had struck gold in a way that they had found the an energetic feisty scoring point guard (sounds familiar, right?) to suffice the need of the hour. With their back up point guard (Patrick McCaw) also down with a concussion, Quinn Cook is the closest thing to Steph Curry that the Warriors have seen in a while.
Klay Thompson
Need buckets in a hurry? Then here's your guy! Perennially known for being Stephen Curry's sidekick throughout their glorious run, Klay Thompson is arguably the most under-appreciated pure scorers in the entire league. He is automatic from long-range, plus he's a catch-and-shoot threat who is as elusive as the jewel thief himself. He gives NBA assistant coaches nightmares when trying to prepare defensive schemes against him.
Here, have a look at his shot-chart for his epic 37-point quarter:
And now, just for reminder's sake, here are the advanced stats from his 60-point game just last year:
Touches: 52
Time of possession: 1.5 minutes
Distance traveled: 2.49 miles
Speed: 4.39 MPH
The man, literally, had the ball in his hands for 90 seconds. The result? 60 points, on 21-33 shooting.
Klay Thompson is scary good, just ask Steph Curry.
Javale McGee
No kidding, Javale McGee has come a long way from his days as a 'Shaqtin' a Fool' legend. After bouncing around lottery teams like the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks, he has finally found a home with the Warriors that reminds him of his upbringing at the hands of a champion.
Being the son of Pamela McGee, 3-time gold medallist and former University of Southern California superstar from the early 1980's era of basketball, certainly comes with its fair share of pressure and scrutiny which has been the source of much of his ridicule over his NBA career so far. But what is commendable beyond measure is how McGee has been able to shut down most of the outside noise (other than Shaq) and focus on imbibing the winning culture of the Golden State Warriors, which has rewarded him handsomely as a champion.
Granted, he is far from a first-choice scorer for the loaded Warriors, he will be expected to receive much less defensive attention from their playoff opponents with all the offensive firepower that the Warriors harbor on their wings. To capitalize on this opportune void created in the low post will be the best adjustment Steve Kerr and his coaching staff can make going into the playoffs against the Spurs, who lack much a defensive presence down low with LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol.
Javale McGee throughout all his antics, remains the best low- post scoring option on the entire Warriors roster. With his 7-foot tall frame, he will be ready to sky over the defense for quick drop-ins or long alley-oops as he'll be needing all 91 inches of his wingspan.
Kevin Durant
Dating back to his days with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant has always dispelled any doubt about his role as the #1 scorer in the league. It is pretty indisputable given all the statistical evidence that Kevin Durant is one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history. He has a devastatingly good True Shooting Percentage of 64.0% for the season. But will that be enough to cope up for Curry's loss who has a league-leading 67.5% of his own?
Having recently eclipsed the 20,000 point mark, there are murmurs among the NBA community that Durant may someday take Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's position as the NBA's all-time leading scorers. As his time with the Warriors has shown, he will definitely have no difficulty in scoring as long as Steph Curry keeps passing him the rock. But as the Warriors' recent struggles have shown, their offensive machine has come to a standstill much too often with players trying more isolation plays than running a free-flowing offense. This may even go on to affect Kevin Durant's touches in the postseason as seasoned opponents like Gregg Popovich's Spurs can now focus heavily on the 2014 MVP, limiting his options.
With scoring being difficult to come by, how can one expect the man to lead the team? From his time with the Thunder, Durant has always proven his hunger for winning and is not afraid to take the game-winning buzzer-beaters. Yet, the media and fans regularly allude to Russell Westbrook being the true Alpha on that roster, which is part of the reason why Kevin jumped the boat in the first place. With a lot of expectations riding in the balance for the reigning champs, Kevin Durant sure does seem to be their best bet at shouldering the load, for now.
