Golden State Warriors: Ranking the 30 best Warriors ever
By Tony Pesta
21. David Lee
Stats: 327 GP, 16.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.8 APG, 51.3 FG%
Before being traded to the Golden State Warriors in 2010, David Lee was a rising star. In his first season with the Warriors, he averaged 16.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game as he was named to the Western Conference All-Star team. This made Lee the first All-Star to play for the Dubs since the 1996-97 NBA season.
Lee helped Golden State improve its record by 10 games in his first season. Next year, Lee nearly matched his career-high for points with 20.1 points per game (His career high is 20.2.) He peaked in the 2012-13 season, putting up 18.5 points and 11.2 rebounds per game as the Dubs made the playoffs for the first time in five years. Lee’s performance granted him a selection to the All-NBA Third Team.
After the emergence of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Lee would take a backseat. He continued to provide solid production as his role slowly decreased. The need for his skill type was no longer needed. The Splash Brothers were in the midst of changing the NBA as we know it.
Lee would be a part of the 2014-15 Warriors team that eventually won the NBA championship. However, shortly after the end of the season, he was traded to the Boston Celtics. Lee retired from the NBA in the 2016-17 NBA season.