The Warriors’ youthful core emerges with the season at a crossroads, and Golden State has benefited greatly from the efforts of its four youngest rotation players. Draymond Green’s suspension offers a “silver lining.”
Fortunately, Curry and the rest of Golden State have reasons for optimism after winning back-to-back games over the weekend over the Portland Trail Blazers and the Brooklyn Nets. And it’s not just because Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson seem to be gradually losing their thick early-season marine layer.
The “two timelines” strategy, which appeared futile after giving up on former No. 2 overall selection James Wiseman, is giving rise to a young movement in Golden State.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has introduced youthful players to the starting lineup even before to Green’s suspension. Jonathan Kuminga and rookie Brandon Podziemski were added by Kerr, who benched Wiggins and Kevon Looney. Looney is back in the starting five now that Green is out, but Kuminga, Podziemski, and fellow 20-somethings Moses Moody and Trayce Jackson-Davis also had extra opportunities as a result of the ban.
“Our young guys have really been impressive,” Kerr stated. It is one of the positive aspects. The positive aspect of how things have begun is that those individuals are putting up excellent performances.”
Even on their finest days, the Warriors have lacked pure athleticism; Kuminga adds it. It’s common knowledge that Moody is wise beyond his years and can fit comfortably into a variety of lineup configurations. Having played four years at Indiana, Jackson-Davis is already on the more developed side for a rookie at the age of 23.
The 20-year-old Podziemski, who is fast emerging as the youthful core’s gem, is another option. He has averaged 11 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals in his first three games as a starter. His basketball IQ is more notable than the stat-stuffing, though.
The guy is just intuitive.
Curry remarked of Podziemski, “You can’t teach some of the stuff that he does.” “Hurry, be in the appropriate location, and anticipate plays. At the moment, he is an expert at controlling the things that you can control in basketball: trying to make the right play, exerting more effort, and having the desire to have an impact on the game. The intangibles are enormous.
Making the easy play is sometimes the hardest thing to do in basketball, a paradox that Curry is typically the first to point out. However, that’s the foundation of Kerr’s approach, and he started Podziemski in order to assist Curry in handling the ball and making decisions, two areas where Green is noticeably missed.
Curry gave an example of how Podziemski has fit in so well at such a young age in his career. In Saturday’s victory over the Nets, Curry dribbled toward Podziemski, who made the appropriate backdoor cut and caught the pass. Rather than attempting a contested layup, he delivered the easy pass to Wiggins, who then dribbled it to Dario Saric. Then, Podziemski made the smart decision to cut to the corner, where he eventually buried a wide-open three-pointer.
Twenty-year-old in his 19th NBA game displaying vintage Golden State offense.
The following game, with the Warriors leading Portland by two points in the closing seconds and Shaedon Sharpe, the incredibly athletic guard, barreling toward him, Podziemski squared up and made the play that won it. Kerr gave him a “Way to go, BP” and acknowledged that his rookie guard is a gamer. Podziemski had a history of being at the right place at the right time, after all.
“I believe that positioning is key in basketball, both on the offensive and defensive ends,” Podziemski said. “I believe that you have to rely on your placement to make up for your lack of athleticism when you’re not as athletic as someone like Jonathan Kuminga. For me, it’s also about knowing basketball and where the team is trying to go at any given time, as well as just being in the proper places. That, I believe, has been a huge assistance to me throughout my career.”
Kuminga has been able to show off his defensive prowess, rim-rolling and finishing in both transition and the half-court, while Podziemski is taking on additional playmaking duties. With some of his mind-blowing dunks that are at eye level with the rim, he has elevated the term “high” to highlights.
But Kuminga’s capacity and willingness to remain involved drew Kerr’s attention lately, not a posterizing dunk. In Saturday’s victory, Kerr decided to bench Kuminga for a significant portion of the game because Wiggins was doing well. In order to stop Nets forward Mikal Bridges during a pivotal possession, Kuminga had to sit from the middle of the third quarter till the very end of the game. Less than 30 seconds remained when Bridges isolated on Kuminga and drove to the basket to give the Warriors a two-point lead. Kuminga changed the shot enough to induce a miss, even though he wasn’t given credit for a block, which helped the Warriors win.
This level of commitment is essential for a young player who voiced dissatisfaction with his job the previous season and who had trade demand rumors circulate. His mental development is equally as significant as his on-court growth.
In reference to improvement, Jackson-Davis discussed the need to constantly be prepared because he never knows when his chance would come in an interview with CBS Sports that was conducted before Saturday’s victory. Following Green’s suspension, Kerr toyed with the idea of starting three centers (Looney, Saric, and Jackson-Davis), but he later stated that this probably wouldn’t happen. As a result, Jackson-Davis was the exception.
But as it turned out, Jackson-Davis didn’t miss a beat even though Saric was flagged for three early fouls on Sunday against Portland. In just 17 minutes, he scored 14 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, forced 2 steals, and blocked a shot. His box score resulted in a plus-eight. Golden State should follow this model: a group of interchangeable pieces that can step up when needed.
Jackson-Davis declared, “Everyone has to be prepared to play whatever role they’ve got to.” “[Kerr will] put you in a lot of different roles, and our offense is incredibly dispersed in the manner we just set screens and go open. Thus, you receive the ball in numerous locations and execute dribble handoffs and similar moves. All of it is very beneficial to us.
The four young players, Kuminga, Moody, Podziemski, and Jackson-Davis, have bonded in various ways and are quickly emerging as key players in the Warriors’ present as well as their future. Jackson-Davis, a rookie who is two years older than Moody, is receiving wise advice from the third-year veteran, who has his locker right next to his. On team flights, Kuminga and Jackson-Davis seat next to one other and discuss business as the burgeoning young group starts to realize how important they are to a dynasty at a turning point.
“Obviously, this has been a veteran-oriented team for eight, nine years now,” Podziemski stated. However, as Steph had previously stated in an interview, perhaps it is time for some young men to assist in leading, and things may appear a little differently than they have in the past. And it’s alright.”