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The Golden State Warriors have a storied past and are one of the premier teams in the NBA.
They were founded in 1946 and have 6 basketball titles to their name, tied for 3rd most titles won by a franchise in NBA history, alongside the Chicago Bulls.
They have had some really great players play for them previously like Wilt Chamberlain, Paul Arizin, Neil Johnston, Rick Barry, Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullen among lots of others, who have come and gone. We will take a look at the 5 best Warriors players since the turn of the century.
#5. David Lee (2010-2015)
David Lee joined the Golden State Warriors in 2010 and played for them until the 2015-16 season when he was traded to the Boston Celtics for Gerald Wallace and Chris Babb.
During his stay with the Golden State Warriors, he became a household name due to his superb on-court presence and ability to generate buckets whenever the team needed one. He led them to the 2012-13 postseason, leading the league in double-doubles (56) and becoming the Warriors' first all-star selection since 1997.
Out of his 5 seasons with the Warriors, he played at least 69 games in 4 of them, averaging a robust 18.3 points per game, along with 10 rebounds a game, 3 assists a game and a steal plus block a game as well.
He also shot 51% from the floor making him a really efficient scorer. He won his first NBA championship with them during an injury-riddled 2014-15 season where he was not able to contribute a lot and lost his starting spot to an up and coming star in Draymond Green.
He is easily one of the 5 best players the Golden State Warriors had in their squad this decade and will not be forgotten anytime soon.
#4. Monta Ellis (2005-12)
Monta Ellis was widely regarded as one of the best basketball players in the league during his time with the Golden State Warriors. He was a 2nd-round pick drafted straight out of high school in 2005, Ellis won the NBA's Most Improved Player Award during his second season, helping Golden State make its first playoff appearance in 13 years.
In year three, Ellis averaged 20.2 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting an absurd 53.1 per cent from the field—best in the league for a guard. He became only the ninth guard in NBA history to shoot 60% from the floor for an entire month.
Unfortunately, due to a range of injuries and the deterioration of the roster around him and a real disinterest in playing any sort of defence, Ellis slowly regressed and was subsequently traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.
He is still widely considered to be one of the best point guards of his time during his superb seasons with the Warriors as a solid scorer, a great playmaker, his blazing speed, quickness and ability to finish ridiculous plays at the rim were second to none.
#3. Klay Thompson (2011 to present)
Klay Thompson is one of the best shooting guards the league has seen in the past few seasons. He is a 5 time NBA All-Star, a 2 time All NBA third team member and a 3 time NBA champion.
Klay along with Steph and Draymond have overseen one of the most successful dynasties in NBA history. Klay was drafted 11th in the 2011 NBA draft. In 2014, he and Curry set a new NBA record with 484 combined three-pointers in a season and were then rightfully nicknamed the "Splash Brothers".
Klay helped lead the Warriors to 3 titles in 2015, 2017 and 2018. Klay has a career average of 19.5 points per game, along with 2.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game as well. He is a career 42% shooter from beyond the arc and his contributions to the franchise are immense and he will look to end his career as a Warrior when the time comes.
#2. Draymond Green (2012 to present)
Draymond Green has been one of the biggest success stories in the NBA after a long time.
He went from being drafted as a second rounder in the 2012 draft to becoming a 3-time NBA champion. He is also a 3-time NBA All-Star and in 2017 won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
He started the trend for playing as an undersized center in the Hamptons 5 lineup made popular by the Warriors. He is one of the leaders in an emerging trend in the NBA of versatile frontcourt players capable of playing and defending multiple positions, making plays for teammates and spacing the floor.
Green's offensive game has never been one that people talk about, but his contributions on the defensive end of the floor have always been second to none. He is also an elite playmaker and usually handles the ball more for this team.
He has a career average of just 9.1 points per game, along with 6.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, though his recent numbers have been around 7 assists a game. He has been a star on the defensive end, averaging 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game and became the first Warrior player to win the NBA defensive player of the year.
#1. Steph Curry (2009 to present)
Stephen Curry takes the number 1 spot in these rankings as there has been no player who has had more impact in the NBA than Curry in the past 10 years. He has changed how the game is played.
He is a 6-time All-Star, a 2-time NBA MVP and a 3-time NBA champion and is considered the greatest shooter in NBA history. He is credited with revolutionizing the game of basketball by inspiring teams to regularly employ the three-point shot as part of their winning strategy.
He is the franchise star for the Warriors ever since he was drafted by them in the 2009 NBA draft as the 7th pick. He has never looked back and has averaged 23.5 points per game, along with 6.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds a game.
Curry has been one of the league's most unstoppable scorers and arguably the greatest shooter of all-time. He will probably go down as the best player in Warriors history if they keep all their stars and Curry can stay clear of injuries.
Guess the Lakers players!
