Golden State Warriors: Five takeaways from the first six games

2. James Wiseman looks like the best rookie

Rookie center James Wiseman joined a Golden State Warriors team helmed by head coach Steve Kerr, who has historically brought rookies along slowly. By the start of the season, he had not played an organized basketball game in 13 months, did not get to play in Summer League, and missed training camp and the preseason because he contracted COVID-19.

After all of that, he was still impressive enough to earn the starting center role from day one, and he has done nothing but support that decision with his play. Wiseman is hitting shots from deep, rising up for alley-oops, and even taking the ball himself in transition and throwing it down. His athleticism leaps off the screen, and his touch is advanced given his lack of time playing basketball recently.

Things are certainly not perfect; he’s still a rookie after all. He is out of position a lot on defense, and when he is around the play he often fouls. His hands are not the best, leading to Wiseman fumbling passes. Despite all of that, he is looking like the best rookie in this class already, leading the group in blocks and rebounds, ranking second in points scored and free throws made. It has been an impressive start to the season for Wiseman, and he still has a lot of room to grow.

3. No second option stepping up

When Klay Thompson tore his Achilles, it opened up a gaping hole in the Warriors’ hierarchy. Draymond Green was now this team’s second-best player, but he is not the player to create offense. When defenses take the ball out of Stephen Curry’s hands, who needs to step up and take the reigns of the offense?

The easy answer would be Andrew Wiggins, the smooth wing who has averaged just under twenty points per game (19.7) for his career. He has been a bumpy answer, shooting just 39.6 percent from the field as he tried to make things happen. Many Warriors fans were excited at the addition of Kelly Oubre Jr., but the active wing has struggled even more than Wiggins. Oubre has hit just 32 percent of his shots, and is a painful 2-of-30 from 3-point range.

There is no player waiting out there to take on this mantle. Thompson is out for the year, the Warriors are chin-deep in the luxury tax, and are not “one player away” from contending. Barring a blockbuster trade for a disgruntled star, what this team needs is for Wiggins or Oubre to step up, be more efficient scorers and ease the burden on Curry. If that happens, this team can completely right the ship and be on track to meet its goals for the season.