What’s Klay Thompson’s Ceiling for the Golden State Warriors?
Klay Thompson has been everything that the Golden State Warriors could have asked for.
He came into the league primarily known as a shooter, but in just two short seasons, he has developed a solid all-around game and turned himself into a complete player.
His stroke is still his trademark, and he can get his shot off as quickly as anyone in the league. Alongside Stephen Curry, in just their first full 82-game season together, they have already earned the name Splash Brothers. They have put their names in the argument as the greatest shooting backcourt of all time.
Thompson’s shooting ability led him to joining the All-Rookie first team and earning an invitation to the 2012 USA men’s select team. The latter helped because the work he put in over the summer helped as he improved every facet of his game.
His numbers backed up his work. They all went up except for his percentages. This can be expected when anyone averages 11 more minutes attempting four more shots per game.
But it’s not just in his numbers.
His defense improved dramatically. So much so that after Brandon Rush went down for the year, Thompson became the Warriors’ best perimeter defender.
You can argue that when Andrew Bogut was out due to injuries, Thompson was the best defender on the team.
He was routinely called upon to defend their opponents’ best offensive player on a nightly basis. His pick-and-roll defense really stood out. In an article by Chris Palmer of ESPN.com, he points out:
Among all players with at least 200 possessions guarding the pick-and-roll ball handler, Thompson gave up the fewest points per possession, with 0.686. By comparison, All-Defensive team members Tony Allen held pick-and-roll ball handlers to 0.649 points per possession and George to 0.783.
Thompson has put his name among the best defenders in the league. This is the same guy who hit eight of nine three-pointers for 34 points to go with 14 rebounds in Game 1 against the San Antonio Spurs.
Oh yea, he rebounds now too.
After posting 2.4 rebounds a game in his rookie year, he improved that number to 3.7 this year. It helped lead to the Warriors in becoming the third-leading rebounding team in the NBA with 45 per game. Sure, having Bogut and David Lee helped, but Thompson has the ability to develop into a terrific rebounding guard. His 14-rebound game attests to it.
Speaking of getting to the rim, Thompson can do that too.
That is something he should be doing more of. Especially if—and it hurts to think about—Jarrett Jack doesn’t re-sign. Even if he does come back, Thompson should be attacking the rim more often. It will open his perimeter game up, and being an 85 percent career free-throw shooter, creating contact is a great way to raise his average.
The problem is he has only gone to the line an average of 1.7 times per game so far in his career, less than one shooting foul per game. Going forward, you would like to see Thompson get more aggressive while avoiding plays like this.
There is good aggressive play, and there is bad aggressive play.
That was a bad aggressive play.
He also tends to disappear at times.
After making 11 of 14 threes in the first two games in the second round of the postseason, Thompson made just two more on six attempts in the remaining four games.
How is that possible?
Thompson has the tools to develop into one of the top shooting guards in the league. He just needs to become more consistent and aggressive.
In Game 5 against the Spurs, Thompson scored the first two points of the game. Good start, but the rest of the final 47 minutes he managed to get just two more points. That is unacceptable.
You can’t expect him to make five-plus threes a night, but someone with his talent should not be going 6-of-20 for 14 points in two of the biggest games in Golden State history.
Thompson’s ceiling is on an All-Star level. He has the complete package and has no limitations on the basketball court. As he matures as an NBA player and person, he will start taking better shots, attacking more and become the consistent player we all know he can be.
If he continues the growth that he has shown thus far, a long successful career with the Warriors is ahead of him. That is as long as they can afford him. When it is all said and done, his career should include multiple All-Star appearances and three-point titles. It may even include an All-NBA defensive team member and hopefully a championship ring.
Wouldn’t that be nice?
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Warriors fans killed in shooting
Two Golden State Warriors fans were killed in a shooting following Thursday night’s playoff game in Oakland.
Two men, identified as residents of Contra Costa County, apparently were headed home from the game on Interstate 880 in a white 2010 Porsche Panamera when someone in a dark-colored SUV opened fire with a semi-automatic pistol, killing the driver, 30-year-old Christopher Beardon. The 28-year-old passenger, Terrance Marks, fled the car or was ejected as it struck the guardrail and veered into traffic, and he was struck and killed by another car. He also had been shot.
Police are seeking help from fans who attended the game and studying surveillance video from Oracle Arena in hopes of identifying possible suspects. The victims were outfitted in Warriors gear and had ticket stubs from the game, according to Oakland police spokeswoman Johnna Watson, who spoke to local news outlets.
Police do not believe it was a road rage incident based on the evidence, including the number of shots fired.
The freew
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Captivating season gives Warriors hope for future (Yahoo! Sports)
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Rookie forward Draymond Green walked out of Golden State’s practice facility Friday holding a yellow ”We Are Warriors” shirt, taking home the small souvenir to savor the team’s captivating playoff run.
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How David Lee Fits into Golden State Warriors’ Long-Term Plans
The 2013-14 season was a year to remember for the Golden State Warriors, but one that their All-Star big man David Lee would like to soon forget.
While he was a key contributor in leading the Warriors to 47 regular-season wins and just their second trip to the postseason since 1994 (league-best 56 double-doubles, 19.2 player efficiency rating), he wasn’t around long enough to help them lengthen their playoff stay.
A torn right hip flexor in Game 1 of Golden State’s opening-round series with the Denver Nuggets cut the eight-year veteran’s playoff debut drastically short. While initial reports ruled him out for the remainder of the postseason, he miraculously battled his way back onto the floor.
It was an admirable move to say the least, but the damage had clearly already been done. The injury largely restricted him to spot duty, never playing more than 13 minutes or reaching double-digit points.
But the crushing blow to Lee was in no way a death sentence for his Warriors. In fact, they won four of their next five games, eliminating the sixth-seeded Nuggets in six games.
Their playoff run was upended six games later by the San Antonio Spurs, but their season was still seen as an overwhelming success.
The question on everyone’s mind was how this team was able to not only survive in Lee’s absence, but thrive without its fallen star.
History has produced a number of teams that have drawn an emotional lift from the loss of a premier participant.
But the Warriors’ success saw more tangible factors coming to the surface.
The loss of Lee gave coach Mark Jackson some flexibility with his starting five. Against the speedy, athletic Nuggets, he added Jarrett Jack and later Carl Landry to his opening lineup. Once the bigger, more physical Spurs came on the schedule, Jackson shuttled Landry, Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green into the starting 4 spot.
Jack and Harrison Barnes (16.1 points per game in the postseason) added to the team’s offensive firepower. Ezeli and Green helped build a formidable defensive front alongside Andrew Bogut. Landry brought a familiar touch, scrapping for offensive rebounds and dropping in mid-range jumpers out of pick-and-pop sets.
Had Jackson discovered an unlikely silver lining in Lee’s loss? Were the Warriors even better off without him?
Golden State’s front office certainly hopes not. Lee’s on the books for the next three seasons, owed more than $44 million over that time, according to Hoops Hype.
The Warriors have enough financial problems to worry about as it is.
Seldom-used reserves Richard Jefferson and Andris Biedrins are set to collect more than $20 million combined next season. Bogut‘s nagging ankle injury has the potential to make the $14.2 million left on his contract become a tremendous burden.
Could Lee’s scoring (18.5) and rebounding (11.2) averages have just been a mirage—empty statistics over impactful substance?
There’s a smattering of evidence that seems to suggest yes but a 79-game sample screaming a resounding no.
Lee has his problems. His defensive deficiencies were often glaring, even when Bogut was healthy enough to watch his back. His offensive outbursts had a tendency to fizzle in late-game situations or when he was paired up with a defender capable of meeting (or exceeding) his strength and athleticism.
But his presence on the floor could have meant the difference between watching the Western Conference Finals and actually participating in them.
The Warriors clearly needed another scorer on the floor when the Spurs figured out ways to silence the Splash Brothers (Curry and Thompson shot just 35.5 percent from the field after Game 2). They craved any kind of interior presence to relieve some pressure from the perimeter.
Lee’s not a natural post scorer, but he knows how to free himself near the basket and has a soft touch with either hand. Once the defensive attention shifts his way, he’s a gifted spotter and spent the season developing a keen eye for his sharpshooters. He’s an emotional leader, the kind to instill confidence even when faced with a pair of elimination games.
Is he overpaid? Probably, but the ink has long ago dried on his contract, and those salary figures won’t change. Is he valuable to this franchise? Absolutely, he’s a veteran leader capable of lightening the offensive load placed on Curry’s fragile ankles.
The Warriors’ future is bright, and Lee will play a prominent role in helping them maximize their potential.
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Stephen Curry Already Poised for Bigger, Better 2013-14 Warriors Campaign
Even though the disappointment of the Golden State Warriors‘ playoff elimination was still fresh, Stephen Curry stepped to the podium after Game 6 and confidently asserted that he and his team could be even better in the 2013-14 season.
And you know what? There’s a good chance he’s right about that.
While it might be hard to imagine how Curry—a guy who just finished making more three-point shots in a single season than anyone in the history of the NBA—could make an appreciable leap next year, remember: He’s only 25 and hasn’t had the benefit of a full offseason of work since he was a rookie.
A seemingly endless series of ankle injuries, surgeries and rehabilitation periods have turned all but one of Curry’s NBA summers into tiresome treks back to health. This time around, he’ll have three-and-a-half months to work on his game.
When asked what areas he could improve, Curry cited his strength, quickness and ability to get to the foul line. Those might seem like vague goals, but it’d be difficult to peg three more appropriate areas on which Curry must focus. Clearly, he knows where his weaknesses lie.
What’s more, we’ve already seen proof that Curry knows how to add things to his game. Anyone who watched his growth during the 2012-13 season knows that he actually got better during the season. And that growth wasn’t just confined to his numbers—although it’s worth mentioning that he improved his field-goal percentage by four percent, his three-point accuracy by about one-and-a-half percent and his points-per-game average by five full points after the All-Star break.
Numbers are fine, but the subtler changes were what really mattered. Curry’s increased aggressiveness, willingness to create his own shots and that fantastic left-handed whip pass that he featured so often in the playoffs all came about over the course of the regular season.
Not only did Curry show the ability to grow during the year, he also proved he could adapt within individual playoff series. Whether it was learning how to attack a double team or taking advantage of pressure by driving the lane, Curry made it clear he’s capable of adding new weapons to his arsenal in a surprisingly short amount of time.
And now that he won’t have to spend half of his summer in a walking boot, he’ll get a chance to do that.
In addition to his capacity to augment his technical skills, Curry’s newfound confidence gives him a great chance to come back even better next season. After capturing the hearts of the NBA world with a few of the postseason’s most memorable takeover efforts, Curry seems to have convinced himself that he really is a star. For a humble, team-first guy like him, it can be hard to come to that realization—even when everyone else already knows it.
Curry now has tangible proof that he can carry a team. And if he ever has any doubts about that over the summer, he can pop in the tape of his pair of 22-point quarters during the playoffs.
Obviously, Curry’s ability to take another step toward superstardom is critical to the Warriors making a deeper playoff run next year. But he probably won’t be alone in his growth.
The Others
In what’ll be his third NBA season next year, expect Klay Thompson to improve right along with his backcourt teammate. Though the Washington State product didn’t shoot it quite as well as he did in his rookie campaign, Thompson definitely proved that he’s going to be a deadly outside threat (40 percent from long range in 2012-13) whenever he’s on the floor.
The Warriors also involved him in a wider variety of offensive sets this past year, which showcased Thompson’s skills as a decision-maker coming off of screens and in the post.
Most importantly, Thompson gradually became the Dubs’ primary perimeter defender last year. His length, footwork and surprising lateral quickness should only improve with time.
Plus, Brandon Rush’s return from a knee injury that cost him virtually the entire 2012-13 season will bring a vital defender and three-point shooter back into the fold. There’s no telling how his knee will respond, but if Rush can be anything close to what he was just two years ago, he’ll immediately join the rotation as a terrific three-and-D sixth man.
And then there’s Harrison Barnes, who, at just 20 years old, stands to make the biggest leap of any Warrior. Everyone saw that he could be a go-to option in the right matchup during the playoffs, as the rookie scored at least 19 points in six different postseason games.
Barnes is athletically unlimited and at times last year, it was evident that he was still figuring out how to harness his considerable natural ability. His ceiling is tough to project, but it’ll be a borderline stunner if he doesn’t eclipse his postseason averages of 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 46 percent shooting during the regular season next year.
He’ll be the Warriors’ most versatile offensive player in no time, and if he can channel his physical skills in the right way, there’s also nothing stopping him from becoming a truly elite defender. It sounds crazy, but if Barnes (and not Thompson or David Lee) is the Warriors’ second-leading scorer next year, don’t be surprised.
The Unpleasantness
It’s important to note that there are a few factors that could hinder the Warriors’ development in 2013-14. Their financial situation will almost certainly force them to choose between retaining Jarrett Jack (an unrestricted free agent) or Carl Landry, who can opt out of his contract to test the market.
Those two players were critical to Golden State’s success all season long, and if young guys like Kent Bazemore and Draymond Green aren’t quite ready to assume much larger roles, the departure of Jack and/or Landry could leave a couple of large voids in the rotation.
Glad we got that unpleasantness out of the way.
Returning to the positives, we still haven’t even touched on the most intriguing reason for optimism.
The Aussie
Finally, there’s the biggest wild card of all: Andrew Bogut.
Golden State’s hulking center was never healthy in 2012-13, but in those few, fleeting moments when his blown-out ankle and balky back felt halfway decent, Bogut transformed the Warriors. In brief stretches of the postseason, he completely dominated the paint on both ends—swatting shots, doling out hard fouls and dunking on anything that moved.
Put simply, he made the Warriors an elite team when he was healthy enough to even hobble onto the court. The regular season was nearly a total loss for him, and even the playoffs devolved into a depressing series of painkilling injections and uncomfortable grimaces.
But when he was even remotely healthy, Bogut was a beast.
For a guy like him, numbers never tell the whole story, but we saw him go for 14 points and 21 rebounds in Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets. And he averaged 14 rebounds per game in the first four contests of the series against the San Antonio Spurs.
But then the ankle flared up and he could barely move in Games 5 and 6.
If—and it’s a massive “if”—Bogut can get healthy enough to give the Warriors more than a few good games at a time, this team is primed to contend next year.
The End
Golden State’s season ended at the hands of a more experienced, more complete Spurs team. There’s no shame in that.
But the fact that Curry and the Warriors are already looking ahead, unsatisfied with their past achievements, is a great sign for the future. If things break right, we might eventually look back at Curry’s postgame press conference not as the end of a great run, but as the moment when everything started.
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Warriors players thank fans after elimination
One of the best things this season was to see Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in the postseason. Yes, they were eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs Thursday night in Game 6, but this was a huge improvement for the young team. Of course, it was a delight to see a grief-stricken fanbase [...]The post Golden State Returns To Court; Steph Curry Thanks Fans (Video) appeared first on The NBA Mistress.
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Spurs beat Warriors to advance to Western Conference Finals
Tim Duncan scores 19 points as San Antonio eliminates Golden State at Oracle Arena.
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Metta World Peace Says Golden State Warriors a ‘Pinky Toe Away’ from Contending
Metta World Peace chimed in on the Golden State Warriors‘ impressive playoff run as only he could, mixing metaphors, incorporating a language that only he may be able to understand and, beneath it all, hitting on a kernel of truth.
After the Dubs fell to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6, MWP hit Twitter with a pair of gems. First, he gave his Pacific Division rivals a healthy endorsement, highlighting just how near Golden State might be to reaching the next level in its development.
Then, things got a little weirder.
World Peace clearly watched the game, as both Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry missed a handful of pretty open looks when the Warriors had a shot to pull ahead in the fourth quarter. But he seems to have coined a new nickname for Thompson, renamed the Spurs after their coach and gotten a little too preoccupied with a fast food chain.
On the whole, though, this is what we’ve come to expect from MWP’s social media dabblings.
And if we sift through the weirdness, we see that World Peace’s opinion is being echoed by plenty of other sources.
Perhaps most importantly, the Warriors’ fans seem to share the same optimism, as they stayed late to cheer for their fallen team. And as if the Dubs were trying to outclass themselves, they returned to the floor to thank their fans for the support.
This is a group with a ton of young perimeter talent in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes. Plus, Andrew Bogut can only get healthier. With a roster composed of great citizens and diligent workers, it’s no wonder that everyone is predicting (and in some cases, hoping for) great things in the future.
Taking a realistic approach, it’s going to be hard to make it out of the Western Conference in the next few seasons. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets all have a strong mix of youth and experience. Plus, the Spurs don’t seem capable of fading away, and the Los Angeles Lakers probably won’t stand for the kind of results they had this year.
And the Clippers will be right back in the picture if Chris Paul comes back.
The climb to the top of the West seems like it’ll always be a steep one. But remember, the Warriors came this far with a banged-up Andrew Bogut, a lost season from Brandon Rush and three rookies playing huge minutes.
As scary as it sounds, World Peace is right: The Warriors are actually really close to contending.
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Spurs hold off Warriors, advance to West finals (Yahoo! Sports)
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Slow at the start of the series and strong at the end, the San Antonio Spurs wore out the Golden State Warriors the way they have so many other opponents.
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Golden State Fans Show Warriors Love After Thrilling Breakout Season
The Golden State Warriors‘ magical run through the 2013 NBA playoffs was coming to an end, the overwhelming sense of finality took over.
Facing a six-point deficit with less than two minutes left in their win-or-go-home Game 6 against the San Antonio Spurs, the Warriors worked a clean three-point look for Klay Thompson, a career 40.6 percent perimeter shooter. His long-range attempt rattled in and out.
But Golden State regained possession, then found Stephen Curry, the same gunslinger who needed all of four years to set the league’s all-time record for most three-pointers made in a single season with 272. His shot clipped the front of the rim, danced around the cylinder, then fell into the hands of San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili.
On the ensuing possession Tony Parker, a career 31.3 percent shooter from distance, drilled a corner three. The 75 seconds left on the clock were meaningless.
The knockout blow had been delivered, and there would be no recovery (via WarriorsWorld.com’s Jordan Ramirez):
Game. Set. Series.
— Jordan Ramirez (@JRAM_91) May 17, 2013
But the thousands of fans packed inside the Oracle Arena had no intentions of leaving this series on a sour note.
Instead of heading for the exits, fans joined forces and unleashed a deafening “Warriors” chant of appreciation, a final send-off for the team responsible for bringing playoff hoops to the Bay Area for just the second time in 19 years. The unabashed embrace of their players and their coaches at their darkest hour was one of the finest moments to witness from this postseason (via HoopsSpeak.com’s Beckley Mason):
These chants are just awesome.
— Beckley Mason (@BeckleyMason) May 17, 2013
The cheers carried on a while after the final buzzer signaled the end of San Antonio’s 94-82 series-clinching win. And the roaring level of applause went unshaken as the players left the floor for the final time this season.
Or what seemed like it would be the final time, at least.
Then Jarrett Jack, an eight-year veteran but first-year Warrior, emerged from the tunnel and made his way back on to the hardwood to show that these feelings of adoration were 100 percent mutual. His teammates would join him shortly thereafter (via Marcus Thompson of the Mercury News Group):
Jarrett Jack starts the encore by walking around the court clapping. Soon, the entire team was back on the court saluting the fans
— Marcus Thompson (@gswscribe) May 17, 2013
When signs of gratitude and rounds of applause weren’t enough, Jack literally gave these fans the shirt off his back and then some (via Thompson):
Jack autographed his shoes and threw them in the crowd. He then took off his jersey for a little boy
— Marcus Thompson (@gswscribe) May 17, 2013
Stephen Curry, a budding superstar and the biggest piece of keeping this group from being a one-hit wonder, then found a microphone and a way to bring the players and fans even closer together (via the Warriors’ official Twitter account):
. @stephencurry30 grabs the mic & thanks #DubNation for their support through arena PA system, leads crowd in “Just Us” chant (team mantra)
— Golden St. Warriors (@warriors) May 17, 2013
Perhaps even more uplifting than the moment itself, though, was the thought that this may only be a sign of great things to come for this franchise.
Remember this group lost defensive stalwart Brandon Rush for the season in the regular-season home opener, then watched in horror as its lone All-Star, David Lee, suffered a torn right hip flexor in Game 1 of its opening-round series with the Denver Nuggets. Not to mention the playoff push saw the emergence of rookie Harrison Barnes, some awe-inducing shooting performances from sophomore Thompson and a glimpse of what a healthy Andrew Bogut could mean for this team’s future.
This was a fitting end to an incredible season for these lovable losers turned wonderful winners.
The only question now is in what scenario these heartwarming scene will play out in next time around.
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