3 Things We Learned About Warriors From First-Round Victory Over Nuggets
The last two seasons have been brutal for the Golden State Warriors as a franchise due to numerous injury concerns.
After beating the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Wednesday though, it is very clear to see that the Warriors are back to being the championship contender we have known them to be dating back to the 2014-15 season.
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are all healthy and back on the floor with one another, spelling trouble for the rest of the NBA.
The Denver Nuggets were the first culprit of the Warriors in the 2022 NBA Playoffs, as Golden State really did not face many challenges in this matchup.
Nikola Jokic gave the Warriors a little bit of trouble, as he gives every team he faces trouble, but there are a lot of good things that Steph Curry and Co. can take away from this series.
Here is what stood out about Golden State in their five games against Denver.
Jordan Poole Is The “Real Deal”
The “Splash Brothers?”
Nope, try the “Super Splash Brothers” now with the emergence of Jordan Poole!
This season for the Warriors has been about some of their young players stepping up and coming into their own. Andrew Wiggins was one of those guys, becoming a first-time All-Star, but Jordan Poole has been a revelation for Golden State.
Once falling down to the G-League and already having what appeared to be one foot out the door in the league, Poole worked hard in the offseason to redefine his game and now, he is looking like a future All-NBA talent for the Warriors.
In their five games against Denver, Poole averaged 21.0 points, 5.4 assists and shot 54.8% from the floor, 48.4% from three-point range. The 22-year-old guard also made a total of 19 three-pointers in this first-round series.
He only scored a combined 19 points in Games 4 and 5 of this series, but Jordan Poole had scored at least 27 points in each of the first three games against the Denver Nuggets.
A team already having two of the best shooters of all-time in Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have received a massive addition in Jordan Poole and if this series taught us anything, it is that Poole is the key to the Warriors winning another title.
Foul Trouble Could Be Problematic For Golden State
One area of concern for the Warriors not only in this series against the Nuggets but moving forward is their ability to stay out of foul trouble, specifically Draymond Green.
Over the course of their first-round series, Golden State averaged 23.2 personal fouls per game a little bit higher than their 21.0 average during the regular season.
Draymond collected a total of 20 personal fouls in this series and he fouled out of Game 4 in Denver, the Warriors’ lone loss of this series.
Obviously the whistle is something the Warriors cannot control, but finding ways to tighten up defensively and not allow teams to drive down the lane is a must moving into the Western Conference Semifinals, especially since one of the two teams they will be playing make a living on the interior.
The Memphis Grizzlies ranked first in the league during the regular season in points in the paint and the Minnesota Timberwolves ranked fourteenth. Memphis ranked seventh in free-throws attempted per game this season and Minnesota ranked eighth.
No matter who wins that series, Golden State is going to have to find ways to stay out of foul trouble against a team that is known for getting to the line and attacking their opponents on the interior.
The Warriors’ lack of size is definitely concerning in terms of foul trouble for Draymond Green, as the defensive mastermind has had to take on the burden of being the team’s center at times, resulting in him guarding tough-minded interior players like Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and other great centers in the Western Conference.
There are not many ways to beat the Warriors when their offense is clicking, but opposing teams attacking Draymond Green and Golden State’s small lineup consisting of Curry, Poole and Thompson could wind up being a problem later in the postseason.
Golden State Has The Most Depth In The League
Maybe we already knew this from the regular season, but the Warriors have some of the best depth in the league and it showed in this first-round series against Denver.
Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr., Andre Iguodala, Nemanja Bjelica, Jonathan Kuminga and others are always ready when their names are called and it seems like someone new is ready to step up every single night.
Remember Golden State’s slogan of “Strength in Numbers?”
They have not had any numbers over the years given their injury concerns, but now with everyone healthy, this strength in their second-unit is back.
In Game 1, Curry stepped up coming off-the-bench for the first-time in his career, as did Bjelica. In Game 2, it was Curry and Porter Jr. giving Golden State big minutes off-the-bench. In Game 5, it was Gary Payton II’s 15 points in 26 minutes that gave the Warriors the series victory.
Are you seeing the trend here?
Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins are all fantastic players, but what drives the Golden State Warriors and what has won them titles over the last decade is the fact that they rely so heavily on production from their bench.
This year’s squad has some youngsters in the second-unit, but the vast majority of their team is experienced and they all believe in one another.
This is why the Golden State Warriors are one of the teams to beat in these playoffs and why they have a very good chance at making it back to the NBA Finals for the sixth-time in the last eight seasons.
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- Gary Payton II Gives Warriors Huge Boost In Series Clinching Win Over Denver Nuggets: The Golden State Warriors closed out the Denver Nuggets 102-98 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series Wednesday night to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals. CLICK HERE.
- Here's What Steph Curry Said After The Warriors Eliminated The Nuggets: Steph Curry met with reporters after the Golden State Warriros eliminated the Denver Nuggets from the NBA Playoffs on Wednesday evening. CLICK HERE.
