With their 111-107 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night, the Golden State Warriors clinched a playoff berth for the first time in three years and have an opportunity to gain some much-needed momentum as the regular season winds down.
Stephen Curry was ruled out for the remainder of the regular season on Friday with a sprained ligament in his left foot and will be re-evaluated after the season finale. The Warriors are 2-6 since Curry’s injury and 4-10 without him on the year.
While head coach Steve Kerr said after Friday’s practice that he and the team are shooting for the highest seed possible, it’s just as vital for them to prepare themselves for playoff intensity regardless of where they wind up in the final standings.
Here are some ways for the Warriors to finish the season strong and gain momentum as they roll into the playoffs.
Poole’s Curry impression
In Curry’s absence, Jordan Poole has been the best offensive player on the floor, scoring 20 or more points in 16 consecutive games. He followed up his career high tying 38 points against Phoenix with 31 points on 40 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep. While Poole’s on-ball game has been front and center, he’s been developing his off-ball game as well. Poole in some ways has been mimicking Curry. Recently, he’s been handing the ball off and coming off of screens to relocate and score.
The NBA’s 3PM leader in March knocks down his first in April 👏 pic.twitter.com/hdocEuftzi
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 3, 2022
In this set after a first-quarter timeout, the Warriors are running a variation of split action. Poole breaks free of Jordan Clarkson as soon as Draymond Green gets the ball in the post. Poole comes off of a Kevon Looney screen for his first three of the game.
Draymond making space for Wiggins pic.twitter.com/DGSWczvWPv
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 3, 2022
Granted, this focus on this play was Green’s screen on Royce O’Neal to free up Andrew Wiggins. However, notice the fake dribble handoff to Poole. He drags Clarkson as Green slips that screen and passes to Wiggins.
Poole mimicking Curry in his absence makes much sense because the Warriors’ offense will be that much harder to stop with Curry, Poole and Thompson out there. Opposing defenders would have to think twice about selling out to stop Curry. If they do, they are daring two capable scorers to beat them.
Thompson’s shot selection and volume
Since Klay Thompson returned to the lineup, he’s been shooting at a high volume in an attempt to find some rhythm and get back to where he was before injuries cost him two consecutive seasons.
“Overall, he’s played really well. I think he’s been up and down though and he hasn’t been consistent during that time because I think emotionally he wants this so badly and he tends to press a little bit. So that’s the biggest thing we are trying to help him with,” Kerr said before the matchup with the Jazz.
Thompson got what he wanted in the fourth quarter, nailing three 3-pointers in less than 90 seconds to help cut a 16-point deficit to just four points in the blink of an eye.
After being away from the game for two seasons, Thompson was going to make up for lost time by shooting at a high volume. He shot 28 times against the Jazz, but by hitting four of his final six 3-point attempts, he turned a so-so night into a great one.
The issue with the high-volume approach is that on inefficient nights, Thompson tends to stifle the flow of the offense. He’s been forcing bad shots to force himself to get into rhythm and stay there. As much as Thompson wants to get back to the level he’s accustomed to, he must be patient and not force the issue.
More nights like Saturday will come with time and patience.
Defending the 3
The Warriors’ defense has been looking better recently than it had in a while. In their Wednesday loss against the Suns, Green and Looney frustrated Deandre Ayton into 16 points and there were only a few lapses in the rotations.
However, the Warriors must clean up how they defend the 3. The Jazz led by as many as 21 points mostly because they were hitting 3-pointers, and blown rotations helped the Jazz get great looks. Utah splashed 12 3-pointers through three quarters. The Warriors took control when they began to close out on open shots from dee and stopped their tendency to over-help on defense. If the Warriors can continue to clean up their defense from deep, they will be able to win a few more games to end the season and set the tone for the playoffs.
Wiggins’ aggression
Andrew Wiggins is the Warriors’ wild card going into the playoffs. While Poole has shown that he’s ready for the moment, Wiggins is in question. In a majority of games after being named an All-Star, Wiggins has been passive offensively. He gets into the habit of settling for difficult and contested midrange jumpers. If not that, he’s settling from three. Wiggins is more effective when he’s aggressive and actively driving the lane or even seeking out matchups to exploit inside.
WIGGINS WITH AUTHORITY 😤 pic.twitter.com/kam3FoQqpm
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 3, 2022
Here’s that split action again, this time it’s Poole initiating. With 11:41 remaining in the third, look at where Wiggins is. He has the space for an open three. He could have shot it. A split second later, Wiggins turns his defender, slashes through the lane and dunks over Rudy Gobert.
Wiggins was efficient on low volume Saturday night, scoring 17 points on just 10 shots.
Wiggins doesn’t have to settle and should capitalize on the opportunities since there will be space to do so with Curry, Thompson, and Poole on the floor.
Source: www.mercurynews.com