In Steph Curry’s absence, it has been more complex to keep Warriors basketball competitive and intriguing. Still, during the past few games, the team’s sometimes criticized youth has stepped up to perform some heavy lifting.
The latest event happened on Wednesday when Golden State defeated the Utah Jazz 112-107. It was the team’s third straight victory, but Patrick Baldwin Jr. was the star player for the first time.
The 20-year-old forward’s arrival an hour before tipoff was a sign of the Dubs’ current state’s good and bad. After receiving a text message on Wednesday morning informing him that he might be required for the team’s game that night due to injuries, Baldwin had to make the hour-plus drive north from G League practice in Santa Cruz. His last notable contribution to the squad was a career-high 17 points in a 30-point loss to the Nets last week, It was the kind of decision a team in need of players would have to make, yet it turned out as though Baldwin’s skills had been carefully sought out and used.
Baldwin ultimately proved to be Golden State’s most productive player on the field in terms of statistics, leading the team in plus/minus at +13 and competing on both ends of the court. When he made two three-pointers in the second quarter, coach Steve Kerr claimed it “turned the game.”
“Given the circumstances, winning this game seems different. Kerr remarked that we wouldn’t have won this game a couple of weeks ago. “I believe our young men are genuinely developing,”
Those “young men” had to after the team began this season’s extended Curry absence — which also included Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson’s absences — with just one victory in four contests, including two straight losses by scores of 38 and 30 points.
This latest run began on Christmas with a decisive victory over the obnoxious Grizzlies. Jordan Poole gave the Dubs supporters the gift of success with a 32-point performance, assisted by Ty Jerome (+23) and Jonathan Kuminga (+21 on the floor). Despite becoming a big name and a star last season when an injury again sidelined Curry, Poole is still only 23 years old, making him a definite member of the younger group.
After the holiday triumph, even James Wiseman, who has drawn more criticism than any other Warriors player this season, was praised.
Kerr said to reporters on Sunday, “He was fantastic defensively. “Great, just keeping an eye on the paint and playing the cat-and-mouse game by setting up between the ball and the hoop while still being able to cover the roll, man.
The young star player in the next game was Kuminga. The second-year wing’s defense was a significant factor in the Dubs’ ultimate victory over the inferior Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday, even though it was in the context of preventing a catastrophic collapse. Kerr compared Kuminga to Andre Iguodala, a seasoned player whose defense earned him the Finals MVP award in 2015. He f—king locks up now, said Draymond Green. I find that extremely impressive to behold,” the source stated.
It’s not like the Warriors can suddenly count on these players to be superstars forever all the time; young players in the NBA sometimes have streaky seasons. Recent highs have demonstrated that the team can be excellent when they produce. Everything revolves around discovery, whether learning how big of a star Poole can become or how well Wiseman will fit into this cycle.