After Saturday’s loss, which moved them to 0-3, I sure didn’t expect the Golden State Warriors to have a decent-looking record anytime soon. They had a brutal schedule facing them, and it seemed likely that they’d return to San Francisco still winless.
Instead, they won the road trip, and head home with a chance to get to .500 on Friday night. Wednesday’s 119-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves was far from perfect, but it was, most importantly, a win. So let’s grade the players who got it done.
As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.
Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Last year, league-average TS was 58.1%.
Yaxel Lendeborg
35 minutes, 26 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 7 turnovers, 3 fouls, 11-for-20 shooting, 2-for-5 threes, 2-for-4 free throws, 59.7% TS, +2
As I reminder, I grade each player based on my expectations for them. And because of that, Lendeborg is easily the hardest Warrior to grade at the moment. Why? Because I’m simply not sure what my expectations are, or should be!
In just his fifth career game, he had an efficient 26 points and nine rebounds, while playing strong defense on Jonathan Kuminga. If you had told me that before the season started, I would have said it was an easy A at the very least … and probably an A+.
But Lendeborg played so well over the first week of his professional career that the expectations are already beginning to change. On the one hand, it’s unfair to judge him more harshly in just his fifth contest. On the other hand, he’s doing stuff like this, and it’s absolutely altering the equation:
So seen through that lens, we need to address the bad: Lendeborg turned the ball over seven times, and plenty of those turnovers were the type that could — and should — be avoided. He had some breakdowns late in the game, where he got the ball in critical moments and was unable to get off a good shot or make a quick pass. All of his free throws came when the Warriors were trying to ice a small lead, and he only shot 2-for-4 on them.
I don’t say that to criticize Lendeborg. Those are natural learning curves for a rookie who, again, made his professional debut just a week ago. But he’s played so well that the rubric is starting to change, and the grades will reflect that.
Grade: B-
Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds.
Georges Niang
23 minutes, 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 3-for-6 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 58.3% TS, +5
With Gui Santos a late scratch due to knee tendinitis, Niang got a very rare start. How rare, you ask? It was his 549th career game, and just his 33rd start.
He played well. He defended larger than his frame, and had a nice sequence early in the game where he hit a three on one end, and then quickly stole the ball from Minny. I’m surprised at how much energy and effort he plays with, considering he’s a 33-year old coming off a major injury. Nice to be able to slide him into the starting five, even though I’m sure he’ll be back on the bench soon.
Grade: B+
Draymond Green
32 minutes, 3 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers, 5 fouls, 1-for-3 shooting, 1-for-2 free throws, 38.7% TS, +3
A really excellent defensive game for Green. Two days after having to start at center against Nikola Jokić, he did the same against Rudy Gobert, who finished with just one point, four rebounds, and a game-worst -11. So I’d say mission accomplished for Draymond.
Green’s defensive ability and versatility are once again powering the Warriors, and this was a good game for him from a playmaking standpoint, too. He made some excellent passes, directed the offense all through the game, and took fairly good care of the ball.
He’s not the player he once was, but he’s still damn good, and can be the catalyst on both ends of the court.
Grade: B
Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds and assists.
Brandin Podziemski
32 minutes, 8 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 turnovers, 5 fouls, 2-for-5 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 4-for-7 free throws, 49.5% TS, +3
Tasked with spending a decent amount of time on LaMelo Ball, Podziemski had a hard time finding a rhythm with foul trouble. But props to him for not pressing; he was more than comfortable playing a different role in this game, and not being one of the primary scorers. And he did everything else quite well: he was strong on the glass, set up his teammates, kept the ball moving, and made some big defensive plays. Not a great game for Podziemski, but a solid enough one.
Grade: C+
Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in assists.
Steph Curry
32 minutes, 44 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 11-for-27 shooting, 6-for-16 threes, 16-for-16 free throws, 64.6% TS, +10
If anyone had any questions as to whether Steph Curry was still Steph Curry, well … this week has been a pretty firm answer. On Monday, he had 24 points without missing a single shot. And on Wednesday, he casually dropped in 44 points (not to mention eight rebounds and six dimes), and looked completely unstoppable.
Curry took over in the second quarter, when he scored 19 points and helped Golden State take control of the game. From there, he masterfully bounced between shouldering the offensive load, setting up teammates, and serving as gravity to open up the floor for everyone else.
The aggression was a joy to see. Curry wasn’t foul-baiting so much as just being aggressive at all times, and especially when the Warriors were in the bonus.
The chef’s still got it. And between Curry and Lendeborg, you can rest assured that this team will be extremely entertaining this year.
Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points, tied for the team lead in assists, best plus/minus on the team.
Will Richard
23 minutes, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 fouls, 2-for-5 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 51.0% TS, -5
It’s still very early in the season and, as a result, Steve Kerr is still trying to figure out his rotations. And so it’s a little bit unclear what Richard’s role is right now. It seemed on Monday that he was out of the rotation, but in this game he was in the opening set of substitutions, just a few minutes into the game, and ended up playing nearly half the contest.
I thought it was a very good defensive game for last year’s second-round pick, and the stat sheet doesn’t accurately reflect how impressive his rebounding was. There were a few occasions in this game where was outnumbered by multiple taller players, and somehow either came down with the board, kicked it to a teammate, or kept the ball alive.
Whatever his role ends up being, the Warriors are better with him on the team.
Grade: B
Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.
De’Anthony Melton
20 minutes, 8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 2-for-7 shooting, 2-for-4 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 50.8% TS, +2
Melton had some huge plays down the stretch in this game, particularly on the defensive end. It seems like he was always in the right place to bother the Wolves, deflect a ball, or keep a play alive. He even blocked a shot with 18 seconds left in the game, when Minny just needed one bucket to get back into the game … ultimately the Timberwolves retained possession of the ball, but that huge defensive play not only kept points off the board, but used up critical time.
It wasn’t the most noteworthy game on offense, but defense and veteran play are what he’s there for. On Wednesday, he delivered.
Grade: B+
Al Horford
18 minutes, 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 2-for-3 shooting, 66.7% TS, -2
Just a super solid game for Big Al. He played awesome defense, including on Gobert, a three-time All-Star. He was seemingly always in the right place at the right times, and his hands are so gifted for someone of his size and age. He doesn’t even need to shoot threes to be effective!
Grade: B+
Brandon Williams
14 minutes, 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 fouls, 4-for-11 shooting, 0-for-4 threes, 3-for-4 free throws, 43.1% TS, -2
And up-and-down game for Williams. Ultimately, the Warriors simply need him to be more efficient than he was in this game. But his ability to attack and make things happen is huge, and the Warriors already rely on it with regularity when they need a bucket. No one else can get to the rim with as much ease as the ultra-speedy Williams. There were times in this game where it really felt like he was saving the entire offense and shifting the momentum. But ultimately, it simply needs to be more efficient, especially since he’s not contributing much elsewhere in most games (though I thought he did in this one).
Grade: B-
Gary Payton II
10 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 fouls, 1-for-2 shooting, 50.0% TS, +6
Payton was jumped in the rotation by Richard for this game, though it may or may not be a long-term thing. He played his usual excellent defense, including a little bit on Ball, and his athleticism was, as always, on display.
Grade: B
Charles Bassey
2 minutes, 0 points, +3
Despite the Warriors being shy on frontcourt bodies right now, it looks as though Bassey is temporarily out of the rotation. Part of that is due to the rebounding and defensive flexibility of Lendeborg, which allows the Warriors to play Green at the five.
Grade: Incomplete
Wednesday’s DNP-CDs: LJ Cryer, Graham Ike, Malevy Leons
Wednesday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, Moses Moody, Kristaps Porziņģis, Gui Santos
