After two consecutive seasons missing the postseason, the Golden State Warriors have reloaded on all fronts. They’ve added two promising prospects through the NBA Draft in Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, a handful of shooters such as Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica, and long-time Warrior Andre Iguodala to strengthen their reserve unit.
Last season was a step in the right direction for Steve Kerr’s team, with many young players developing into rotation pieces and quickly impacting their playoff chase. Although, the greatest source of enthusiasm was produced by the franchise’s stars, who returned from injuries and helped catapult the group’s record.
Stephen Curry made a terrific push for a third MVP award, erupting in the second half with unfathomable shooting and securing the league’s scoring title, and Draymond Green turned back time to be an elite two-way playmaker, setting up new teammates for open shots and locking down the opposition’s frontcourt threats.
The Golden State Warriors had playoff potential last season, but they lost their chance during the play-in. What helps them secure a spot this year?
While the pair of future Hall-of-Famers were brilliant, Kerr’s team definitely had its limitations. Curry, averaging 32.0 points per game, was the lone consistent shot-creator, resulting in plays where the point guard was double and even triple-teamed that only became worse as the game progressed.
The team relied all too much on 3-point attempts, resulting in subpar efficiency (14th in team field-goal percentage, 26th in team turnovers), minuscule glass cleaning (30th in team offensive rebounding, 22nd in team total rebounding) and few trips to the charity stripe (21st in team free throw attempts).
That’s where this year’s new additions come into play. The lottery picks Moody and Kuminga are particularly athletic, which should lead to high-percentage cuts and fast-break scores. The free agency additions Porter and Bjelica are long in stature, which should lead to more second-chance opportunities and Iguodala who’s an experienced pass-first player, which should lead to more attempts near the basket.
As for the shot-creating alongside Curry, there are a few promising candidates to step up in that department. One is a developing scorer, another is a lottery pick entering his prime, and the last is a recovering future Hall-of-Famer.
All of these boosts on the offensive end, while remaining stout on the defensive end, would elevate the team in the Western Conference standings. But what specific measures are of the utmost importance this year?
Here are 5 goals the Golden State Warriors should look to achieve during the 2021-22 regular season.