Just like that, two weeks of the 2024-25 NBA season are gone. Well, I guess it has officially been 10 days of games, but you get the idea. Since the month of November is upon us, the league will begin turning its attention and marketing towards the second-ever battle in the NBA In-Season Tourn… wait a second, it’s actually the Emirates NBA Cup now because… well, money! With the league turning its attention to the battle for the NBA Cup, many teams are beginning to stand out and make their case for being the team to beat in this competition, especially the Golden State Warriors.
Although the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder are the two teams many are discussing and the two teams at the top of ClutchPoints’ NBA power rankings, the Warriors look like a completely different team than they were a season ago. Aside from the new faces coming in to replace Klay Thompson and Chris Paul, there has been a seismic change in the attitude of this organization.
Whereas things were dull and the franchise was living in the past a year ago in attempts to reclaim their championship glory, the Warriors are simply playing with a freedom and positive energy that is so reminiscent of their most recent title run in 2022. The bench is always engaged in the game, Chase Center seems to just have a better vibe to it, and most importantly, Golden State has depth. In all honesty, this team may just have the best depth in the league when it comes to having players that can flat-out impact winning in any moment.
Have the Warriors played the hardest schedule to begin the season? No, they have not. But defensive effort translates from game to game, as does the will to fight every night. That is something this team simply did not have a season ago. Winning is all that matters early on in the season, which is why this fast start for Golden State is a major reminder that they are a championship organization capable of competing with any team in the league.
It will be very interesting to watch this team over the next week and a half, as games against the Celtics, Thunder, and Cleveland Cavaliers are the clearest tests for where this team stands in the NBA. By the way, can we give a round of applause to Kenny Atkinson and the Cavs? Next to the Thunder, Cleveland is the last undefeated team remaining in the league, and they recently decimated LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers by 24 points in his yearly return game. Keep an eye on the Cavs, as they are proving to be very dangerous at full strength, a spot they never found themselves in last season due to injury concerns.
The Cavs and Warriors are quite possibly the two greatest surprises in the Eastern and Western Conference, respectively, to begin the year. Coincidentally enough, Atkinson came from the Warriors, adding yet another parallel between these two rivals. What is happening right now for Golden State is no coincidence, as their success to begin the 2024-25 NBA season is yet another example of the strength they possess in numbers.
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Warriors finding success outside of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green
Stephen Curry recently suffered a very minor ankle sprain and has missed the Warriors’ last two games against the New Orleans Pelicans. The team is set to reevaluate him on Friday, which will paint a clearer picture for his status heading into the first week of November. Golden State is optimistic that Curry will begin ramping up his activities in practice and workouts over the next few days, league sources told ClutchPoints.
Along with Curry, De’Anthony Melton and Andrew Wiggins have both missed the team’s last two games as they deal with back injuries. Draymond Green is not hurt and has played in every game this season, yet one would glance at his numbers and overlook them despite his remarkable defensive play to this point.
If you took all of this into consideration before the season began, you’d think the Warriors would have a hard time enduring. Well, it has been quite the opposite, as Steve Kerr may just have the deepest team he has ever had. Talent exists up and down this Golden State roster, with their length and athleticism really causing headaches for opponents right now.
The Warriors currently rank third in scoring, second in opponent’s points per game, and first in net rating. Across the board, this team is finding success, and it is because of names like Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, and Lindy Waters III. This team’s bench has been fantastic this season, as they currently lead the league in total bench points (295) through five games. Kerr made it clear he was going to use a deep rotation, and who can really complain given the results that we have seen?
Hield is a terrific three-point shooter. Statistically speaking, he is the second-best three-point shooter in the league behind Curry since entering the league ahead of the 2016-17 season. Anderson has always been a terrific stabilizer at the forward positions, and Podziemski was an All-Rookie performer a season ago for a reason. The real story for the Warriors has been Waters filling the gaps as a three-point shooter, a pretty decent defender, and just another guy like Gary Payton II who is willing to sacrifice anything on the court to win.
“I said since day one of camp: ‘This guy is a ball player,’” Kerr said of Waters after his 21-point and eight-rebound performance against New Orleans on Tuesday. “The game flows when he is out there. It’s not just because he’s a good shooter; he is a good basketball player. It’s the shots that he doesn’t take because of his patience. It’s the cuts that he makes to the basket. Getting into the fight defensively.
“From day one, this guy has been one of our best players, frankly.”
On any given night, the Warriors could see positive two-way production from any player in Kerr’s 12-man rotation. So far, the only weakness this team has displayed is getting to the free-throw line. Who needs free throws when you’re making close to 18 triples per game and holding your opponents to 41.1 percent shooting from the floor?
The Warriors are rolling right now, and it isn’t because of Curry, Green, or Wiggins. This team is 4-1 because of their secondary talent stepping up, which is a great sign of things to come over the course of this season for Golden State. Above all, it’s always strength in numbers for this franchise.
Jonathan Kuminga’s future with Warriors
One of the biggest mysteries ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season revolved around Jonathan Kuminga and his future with the Golden State Warriors. After a breakout season in which he averaged 16.1 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 52.9 percent from the floor in 74 total games, 46 of which he started in, Kuminga was among the players from the 2021 draft class seeking a long-term extension.
Scottie Barnes and Franz Wagner each got five-year extensions worth at least $224 million. This was the deal Kuminga and his camp sought from Golden State. But what they got instead was no commitment from the Warriors, who weren’t looking to tie themselves down to the 22-year-old forward on a contract that would exceed $30 million per season, a deal that would’ve made Kuminga the second highest paid player on the team behind Curry, but over both Wiggins and Green.
The Warriors were not willing to do this, as Kuminga’s fourth season in the league is a chance for him to truly prove that he can be the All-Star talent many, not just those with Golden State, believe he can evolve into. In order to get to this point, a young player needs a hefty role and minutes, something this organization has remained uncommitted to.
Talk around the NBA surrounding Kuminga failing to negotiate an extension with the Dubs was silenced briefly when he started the first three games of the season. But his struggles to take over on offense were a glaring weakness next to Wiggins, Green, and others, which prompted Kerr to take Kuminga out of the starting rotation and put him on the bench. This has been the decision to captivate the NBA’s attention this week, especially considering Curry, Wiggins, and Melton have been sidelined.
A clear path to Kuminga being the team’s leading scorer presented itself, yet it was Kerr again standing in the way of the young forward having a chance to seize this role. At the same time, Kuminga has had his two best performances of the season in back-to-back games against the Pelicans — scoring 17 and 16 points on Tuesday and Wednesday night, making six shots from the floor in both games. The decision to bring Kuminga in off the bench has worked for Golden State.
Still, questions remain about if the Warriors truly envision him being a cornerstone of the franchise for the foreseeable future, as do those that revolve around his relationship with Kerr. After all, Kuminga was not happy about moving to the bench and claims he found out before the game in a text from Kerr. Additionally, the decision to have Kuminga come into the game off the bench resulted in his best performances of the season, as well as his most minutes thus far.
Is there any reason to believe this relationship between player and team could come to an end before free agency next summer?
As of right now, the first of November, the Warriors hold zero intentions of trading Kuminga, multiple league sources told ClutchPoints. A variety of teams, including the Los Angeles Clippers, when Golden State was inquiring about Paul George over the summer, expressed their desire to pursue Kuminga during the offseason. Every team’s effort was turned down by Golden State. Plus, they weren’t willing to include the young forward in a potential deal for George before he became a free agent.
The only chance, at this moment, of Kuminga being moved to a new team is if a superstar talent becomes available on the trade block for the Warriors to step to the front of the line for. Very few players in the league meet this type of criteria, which is why the Dubs remain committed to the growth of who they believe can be a future All-Star in this league despite being set to his restricted free agency. That is a problem for another time, though, and Golden State will continue to have Kuminga hold a key role whether he starts or comes off the bench.
His development remains their priority… unless a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo perhaps becomes available? Maybe there is even an All-Star in South Beach right now that could instantly increase the Warriors’ chances of winning a championship? Never say never when it comes to the NBA and the best of the best being untouchable in trade conversations.
NBA ratings taking a hit?
The one constant that exists among all 30 NBA teams right now is that All-Star-like talents exist everywhere. Talent is in abundance league-wide, and this may very well be the most skillful era of basketball when you look at the individual abilities of players. That should drive the NBA ratings and viewership, right?
Well, so far this season, the NBA has seen their numbers drop after opening night, when Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves took on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. There was also the Boston Celtics annihilating and humiliating the New York Knicks, almost setting a new three-point record in the process.
The first doubleheader of the season on ESPN declined roughly 42 percent compared to last year, according to Sports Media Watch. After their opening-night games, TNT then saw their viewership decline by over 30 percent. A downward trend is beginning to form early on in the 2024-25 season for the NBA when it comes to the product on the court because of injury concerns and, once again, the idea of the season being too long.
While the problem isn’t necessarily the injuries themselves, as there is no way to really prevent players from turning their ankles or suffering major freak injuries like Taylor Hendricks of the Utah Jazz did, there is a problem with how teams are managing said injuries. Take the Philadelphia 76ers, for example, who were just fined $100,000 for how Joel Embiid’s situation has been handled. Despite being injured and still nursing his knee injury, the Sixers brass was caught on record basically claiming that he could play right now, but they don’t want to push it.
Then there is Kawhi Leonard being out with the Los Angeles Clippers — a situation that has been given no clarity or potential timeline for his return. The same can be said about Khris Middleton with the Milwaukee Bucks as far as little details being revealed, and the Miami Heat have been notorious at hiding their players’ ailments before suddenly ruling them out less than an hour before games begin. A variety of teams have also followed in the Heat’s footsteps of doing this.
Of course, some also want to point to the increase in three-point shooting and the constant need for referees to blow the whistle and stop the game as reasons for the recent decline in ratings and viewership. All of this factors into the outcome at hand, as does the fact that the World Series just ended in MLB and the NFL is in the middle of their season. When the NBA doesn’t market their games as much and when they do, it’s with star players that are injured, they can’t necessarily expect to compete early on in the season.
All of this will change with the Emirates NBA Cup around the corner, as well as Christmas Day matchups. Even so, one has to still wonder if it is time for the NBA to consider slimming down the 82-game regular-season schedule in order to keep players fresh and create more of a willingness for teams to have their best players play every single night, regardless of bumps and bruises.
The NBA is fine, if you ask me, because of all the superstars that exist on and off the court. So many of the league’s best are in commercials, television and movie premiers, other business ventures, you name it! As long as that exists, which it will for many years to come, the NBA will be in a great spot.
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