Golden State Warriors: 5 Takeaways From 1st Round Series
4. Livingston Is A Starting-Caliber Point Guard
If there’s any silver lining in Steph Curry’s injury (well, aside from enjoying an easier second round matchup than the Spurs or Thunder will have), it’s been watching Shaun Livingston excel as this team’s starting point guard.
Livingston has been a likable guy since he made a reinvented his career following the horrific knee injury that nearly ended his career, but he solidified himself as a viable starter on a team with championship aspirations over Golden State’s first round series.
The Warriors probably wouldn’t be able to get away with Livingston substituting for Curry against teams like the Spurs, Thunder or Cavaliers, but for now, they’ve got to like what they’ve seen from their 30-year-old veteran.
Shaun Livingston has made three playoff starts for the Warriors and has scored 16 points in all three of those games.
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) April 28, 2016
In the first round, Livingston averaged 13.2 points, 5.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 52.6 percent from the field. In the three games where Curry didn’t play a single minute, his offense spiked to 16.0 points per game on 50 percent shooting.
Livingston is a smart defender with an all-encompassing wingspan, he’s got a size advantage on both ends of the floor and he’s never missed a turnaround jumper in his life. Curry needs to come back soon for this team to keep its championship hopes alive, but as far as temporary fixes go, it doesn’t get much better than Shaun Livingston.
Next: No. 3