Golden State Warriors: 10 greatest free agent signings ever
By Drew Taylor
#9. Dorell Wright
Before Stephen Curry averaged 10 3-point attempts a game and solidified himself as the greatest shooter of all-time, Dorell Wright was the go-to guy for the Golden State Warriors.
Though he only played 143 games for the team across two seasons, Wright’s tenure as a Warrior was impressive nonetheless.
Drafted directly out of high school by the Miami Heat in 2004, Wright had a below-average first six seasons in which he averaged just 6.3 points per game. The Golden State Warriors, however, saw something in the 6’9” small forward and signed him to a three-year deal worth $11.5 million in the summer of 2010.
His best year came in 2010-11, in which he averaged 16.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, finishing third for Most Improved Player.
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Wright showcased his 3-point shooting ability in that season as well; in late November of 2010, Wright broke Golden State’s franchise record for 3-point field goals made in a game with 9, breaking Richard Jefferson’s record set 30 months earlier.
More impressively, Wright led the entire league in 3-point shots made in 2010-11 with 194, a feat that also set a new Warriors franchise record.
He went on to compete in the 2011 3-Point Shootout in Los Angeles at All-Star weekend, shooting alongside some of the greatest scorers ever in Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Durant, and the winner James Jones.
One of the more Dorell Wright-ish games imaginable came during a game against the Phoenix Suns in March of 2011, in which Wright scored 30 points in the second half after going scoreless in the first.
Though Wright was an inefficient shooter and his Warriors franchise records were shattered just two seasons later by we know who, Wright provided an exciting two years in which he paved the way for his future teammates Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to shoot at the rate he did.