Grading Warriors’ 28-27 season entering NBA All-Star break

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Grading Warriors’ 28-27 season entering NBA All-Star break originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

To turn the page to 2025, Steph Curry said it best by calling the Warriors “mid.” That assessment earned the Warriors a “C” grade to begin the new calendar year in NBC Sports Bay Area’s most recent report card.

The Warriors at the time were coming off an 18-point loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers to make them a .500 team at 16-16. Going into this weekend’s NBA All-Star break, the Warriors now are one game above .500 with a 28-27 record, again making them the 10th seed in the Western Conference. But this team feels much different six-plus weeks later.

Maybe that’s the power of adding a real star in Jimmy Butler.

What has gone right? And what has gone wrong? Let’s break it all down before All-Star festivities.

Offense

Since we last checked in, the Warriors have fallen from 17th in points per game to 19th (111.9), but their offensive rating has gone from 21st to 17th (112.1), one spot ahead of the Chicago Bulls.

While the Warriors now take the third-most 3-pointers per game (42.5) and make the fourth-most (15.3) with the 16th-best clip (35.9 percent), their offense now has more variety. They aren’t so reliant on the 3-pointer, which is a direct result of Butler’s arrival.

In the four games since Butler has been a Warrior, Golden State has attempted 110 free throws and has made 92. Those numbers seem impossible for the Warriors, as does them making 83.6 percent of their free throws. Their offense simply has a new identity.

It badly needed one, too. The Warriors in their four games with Butler have averaged 117.3 points, which would place them right above the Boston Celtics for the season. Jonathan Kuminga’s return should be another boost.

Grade: C+

Defense

The loss of Andrew Wiggins means perhaps getting rid of your best defensive player. No, that crown still belongs to Draymond Green. However, Wiggins’ ability to guard elite wing scorers at 6-foot-7 and stay in front of quick scoring guards made him incredibly valuable.

Butler, 35, isn’t the same kind of on-ball defender as the 29-year-old Wiggins….

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/grading-warriors-28-27-season-135933549.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2025-02-14 13:59:00

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