Warriors Hot Takes 2 Months into 2022-23 NBA Season
The Golden State Warriors are the defending NBA champions, and most of the key contributors from that title-winning season still play prominent roles for this team.
So, why, then, does it seem so hard to get a grasp on this group two months into the 2022-23 campaign?
They've routinely done the one-step-forward, one-step-back dance, scoring some major victories but also suffering some head-scratching defeats. Their starting lineup has been a buzz saw when healthy—a huge qualifier with Stephen Curry set for an MRI after injuring his shoulder Wednesday—but the reconfigured bench mob has often underwhelmed.
What do we know about this team? Not a ton, it seems, but enough to spark these three hot takes.
They Won't Trade for a Better Center Than Kevon Looney
Because the Warriors have been unable to escape the Western Conference's middle class, they've often found themselves in the middle of trade speculation. And when armchair analysts fire up the trade machines to "fix" this team, Golden State almost always gets connected to a big man, like Myles Turner or Jakob Poeltl.
It sort of makes sense given the lack of development from James Wiseman (more on him later), but here's why it maybe doesn't: Kevon Looney is the perfect center for this system.
His numbers rarely capture his importance—for starters, he averages fewer than 23 minutes—but the eye test can see it. His screen-setting, defensive activity and rebounding all fill critical niches for this club. Advanced analytics can attest to it, too, like the fact he has the team's fourth-highest net differential at plus-15.2 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com.
Looney has a genius-level understanding of what this group is trying to accomplish at both ends, and that institutional knowledge is something the Dubs can never find on the trade market. Even if they trade for a big, don't be surprised if Looney lands ahead of the incoming player on the depth chart.
Jonathan Kuminga Is Untouchable
Last season, Jonathan Kuminga showed enough high-level flashes to picture him as both a leading character in the franchise's future and an untouchable player in the present.
Over the summer, though, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith reported hearing "too many things about [Kuminga] off the court in terms of his head, the level of discipline that he lacks," via NBC Sports Bay Area. When Kuminga struggled out of the gate this season, to the point of losing his rotation role early on, it was fair to wonder whether those concerns had any merit.
Well, we have our answer. Kuminga is absolutely the no-brainer keeper he appeared to be.
His numbers are rarely loud—in fact, most have dipped a bit from his rookie run—but his approach has been top-notch. He has embraced his role as a defense-first energizer who makes quick decisions, stays within himself and never tries to do too much. He might have stardom in his future, but the fact he's starring in a support role right now has been invaluable.
James Wiseman Won't Have a Future with This Franchise
Back in 2020, the Warriors made Wiseman the No. 2 pick of the draft.
Now, they need to start considering plans for a future without him.
He's made just two appearances at the NBA level since early November, spending the bulk of the past month-plus in the G League. While the big-league Warriors could use more size and athleticism up front, the fact they aren't trying to get that out of Wiseman speaks volumes.
The Dubs have a defined style built around quick decision-making and precise execution. Wiseman, who has played 51 games in the NBA and barely suited up in college, simply hasn't shown the ability to do either one. Not consistently, at least.
"He's still young, but early this season he looked like almost the same player he was as a rookie," The Athletic's Tim Kawakami wrote. "He was hesitant, he was disconnected from the flow, he regularly ruined Curry's minutes (which are valuable!) and the second unit was a debacle whenever Wiseman was out there."
Wiseman could still turn the corner yet, but he's too much of a developmental project for this team to undertake. The Warriors may have once held sky-high hopes for his future, but their present demands a separation from those dreams. Swapping him out for a plug-and-play contributor makes all the sense in the world, not just for Golden State but also for Wiseman, who needs more seasoning than this squad can afford to give him.