Grades for Steph, every Warriors player as playoffs arrive originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The Warriors’ regular season didn’t go as planned. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green played 11 minutes together as Golden State navigated a tumultuous campaign.
Despite all that, the Warriors finished the regular season at 53-29, good for third place in the Western Conference and a first-round date with the Denver Nuggets. Curry’s availability for Game 1 is undecided as he works his way back from a bone bruise and sprained ligament in his left foot. The two-time MVP will scrimmage Thursday to decide whether or not he can suit up for the series opener.
With Game 1 against the Nuggets set for Saturday, it’s a good time to look back at the regular season and hand out some grades for each player who helped the Warriors return to the postseason. If you’re interested in further reliving a roller-coaster season, my colleague Monte Poole went through the 10 highs and lows of the year here.
Without further ado, it’s time for Professor Schrock to deliver his end-of-regular-season marks (feel free to yell at me on Twitter).
James Wiseman, C
Grade: INC
Wiseman was expected to return sometime before the end of the 2021 calendar year, but the young center had multiple setbacks during his meniscus rehab, and the Warriors ultimately elected to shut him down for the season.
The 2020 No. 2 overall pick could not contribute this season, but the Warriors are hopeful he will be 100 percent for the start of next season.
Chris Chiozza, G
Grade: D-plus
Chiozza was a serviceable bench guard who saw action in 34 games this season. However, the Florida product shot just 29.6 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from distance.
It’s fair to wonder if the Warriors could have put his roster spot to better use.
Damion Lee, G
Grade: C-minus
Lee went through a prolonged slump toward the end of the season that hampered the Warriors’ second unit.
In March, Lee shot just 36.7 percent from the field and a dreadful 16.7 percent from the 3-point line. Lee only hit from downtown in two of 10 March games. If not for a 22-point game against the Miami Heat, Lee’s numbers would have been even worse.
He’ll get some run in the playoffs but don’t expect it to be a lot.
Juan Toscano-Anderson, F
Grade: C-plus
The 29-year-old forward played his role perfectly this season for the Warriors.
While JTA averaged just 13.6 minutes per game, he gave Golden State effort, and energy off the bench, which is all Steve Kerr asks of him.
The 57.1 percent mark from the free-throw line knocks him down from a B-minus.
Nemanja Bjelica, F
Grade: B-minus
At the start of the season, Bjelica appeared to be one of the steals of the offseason. The veteran forward fit nicely as a stretch four alongside Draymond Green and gave the Warriors another shooter and able passer in the second unit.
But once Green went down with a disc issue in his lower back, Bjelica’s effectiveness waned, and he was often hunted on defense without Green there to make up for his flaws.
Bjelica fell out of the Warriors’ rotation for a bit but returned near the end of the season and will be a crucial bench piece in the postseason. The 6-foot-9 forward did what the Warriors asked, and his only downturn came with Green sidelined. He’s not alone there.
Moses Moody, G
Grade: B
The Warriors’ other first-round draft was asked to earn his playing time during his first NBA season. Moody saw several DNP’s in the early portion of the season but became a factor in the Warriors’ rotation starting in February.
From Feb. 1 through the end of the season, Moody averaged 6.6 points per game while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 45.1 percent from three. Following a loss to the Mavericks in which Moody hit big shots in the fourth quarter as the Warriors were mounting a comeback, Kerr said Moody had earned the right to play in big moments.
The Arkansas product has been as advertised and will give the Warriors a two-way wing option off the bench in the postseason.
Gary Payton II, G
Grade: B-plus
GP2 was everything the Warriors needed in role-playing guard this season.
Payton, who took the long road to the NBA, gave the Warriors a defensive stopper who could guard multiple positions and rover on offense who could be a lob threat and shoot the three well enough (35.8 percent) to keep defenses honest.
The definition of a high-energy player, Payton couldn’t have done any more for the Warriors this season.
Otto Porter Jr., F
Grade: B
The Warriors signed Porter knowing his lengthy injury history but also believing he could give them much-needed floor-spacing on the second unit.
Golden State took a low-risk gamble on the veteran wing and it paid off. Porter played 63 of 82 games, his most since the 2017-18 season. On the court, Porter averaged 8.2 points per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from 3-point range.
Porter enters the playoffs healthy and will be a vital rotation piece in the championship hunt to come.
Jonathan Kuminga, F
Grade: B-plus
It’s hard to overstate how impressive Jonathan Kuminga has been this season.
Expected to be a spectator as he sharpens his game, the 19-year-old wing has been raw, uncontrolled electricity almost every time he steps on the court. He simply can do things most players can’t. While there are rookie moments where Kuminga gets lost on defense or doesn’t sprint the floor at full speed, the pros have outweighed the cons.
Kuminga won’t have a stable role in the postseason but there’s no doubt Kerr will go to the rookie whenever the Warriors need an injection of energy and verve.
Andre Iguodala, F
Grade: INC
The goal for Iguodala’s return was to have the veteran forward mentor young Warriors and for him to be healthy for the playoffs.
Iguodala battled multiple injuries during the regular season, playing in just 31 games. But he enters the playoffs healthy and will come off the bench for two spurts in each half, according to Kerr.
I can’t give Iguodala a grade for only playing 31 games. Plus, all that matters for the 2015 NBA Finals MVP is what he does in the postseason to help the Warriors return to the NBA Finals.
Kevon Looney, C
Grade: A
How can Looney earn anything less than an A? After battling injuries for his entire career, Looney was the Warriors’ iron man this season.
The 26-year-old played in all 82 games and was essential for a Warriors’ team that was thin at center all season.
Looney was available every night which was even more critical when Green went down. Hats off to Kevon.
Andrew Wiggins, F
Grade: B-minus
Wiggins had a sensational start to the season. In the first 30 games of the season, Wiggins averaged 18.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while hitting on a 48.7 percent clip from the field and knocking down 42.5 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Those numbers earned Wiggins a spot as an All-Star starter, but his play tailed off after the All-Star break. Since the February hiatus, Wiggins is averaging just 15.7 points per game while shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from distance.
The Warriors need the aggressive first-half version of Wiggins to show up in the playoffs or else their postseason stay might be short. All in all, it was a good season for Wiggins but it could have ended on a higher note.
Draymond Green, F
Grade: B-plus
Like Wiggins, Green got off to a blistering start, averaging 8.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.4 assists while playing DPOY-level defense through the first 30 games.
But calf weakness caused by a disc injury in his lower back forced Green to miss 31 games and he, by his admission, was a detriment to the Warriors upon his return. The three-time NBA champion found his footing over the final six games and now looks to be back to his old self as the playoffs begin.
Only an injury absence and a lousy stretch upon his return keep Green from top marks.
Jordan Poole, G
Grade: A
Enough can’t be said about the leap Poole took in Year 3 for the Warriors.
Entering the season, the Warriors asked him to fill the role of Klay Thompson while the five-time All-Star completed his rehab. Once Thompson returned, Poole transitioned into a Sixth Man role. That was short-lived as Poole was thrust back into the starting lineup once Curry went down.
He was brilliant in both roles.
When Thompson returned on Jan. 9, the Warriors were 29-9 (25-7 when Poole played) and the guard was averaging 17.5 points per game.
Once Curry went down, Poole authored the best four weeks of his career. He averaged 24.8 points in the eight games before Curry’s regular-season-ending injury and then averaged 25.8 points over the team’s final 12 games with Curry sidelined.
He’s your Most Improved Player. I’m not sure it’s close
Klay Thompson, G
Grade: A
On Jan. 9, for the first time in 941 days, Klay Thompson took the NBA court for the Warriors.
That, in and of itself, deserves an A. Thompson was understandably rusty. The consistency wasn’t there for most of the 941 minutes he played this season.
RELATED: How Warriors can beat Nuggets with little or no Steph
But he found himself over the final six games, averaging 30.8 points per game while shooting 48.0 percent from the field and 45.0 percent from 3-point range.
Steph Curry, G
Grade: A-minus
By Curry’s standards, it could be seen as a subpar season. The two-time MVP averaged 25.5 points per game but registered career-lows in field goal percentage (43.7) and 3-point percentage (38.0) not counting the 2019-20 season when he played just five games.
Curry shouldered an immense offensive load and it was clear the hunt for the all-time 3-point record took a lot out of him and his shooting suffered. Still, once Curry went out with a sprained ligament and bone bruise in his left foot, his immeasurable value to the Warriors became crystal clear.
It wasn’t Curry’s best statistical season, but he still was one of the best players in the NBA.
Steve Kerr
Grade: B-plus
#RampUpSZN took a heavy toll on the Warriors this season. Curry, Thompson, and Green played just 11 minutes together all season and Kerr never had a fully healthy roster.
With the injuries to Curry, Thompson, and Green, Kerr had to adjust his rotations nightly and did an excellent job of mostly pressing the right buttons. Kerr isn’t beyond criticism, but the decision to have Will Ferrell come in to lighten the Warriors’ mood during a losing streak and warm up with the slumping Klay Thompson shows Kerr has his finger on the pulse of the locker room and knows how best to manage his players.
A job well done.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast
