On the first day of 2021, the Warriors were blown out by the Blazers in their home opener. The loss dropped them to 2-3. Two nights later, Steph Curry went volcanic, scoring 62 points. They didn’t take off from there, but they kept winning on a semi-regular basis. Their record peaked at 19-15, and they always avoided dropping below .500.
Advertisement
That changed Thursday. The Warriors gave up 141 points to the Kings, who are currently below them in the standings. They were blown out. Draymond Green, feeling ill, didn’t play. Steph Curry, still nursing his bruised tailbone, missed a fourth consecutive game. So circumstances nudged them to this point, but with the Warriors at 22-23 — falling below .500 for the first time since Jan. 1 — Thursday did feel like the low point in a season that is steadily drifting in the wrong direction.
The trade deadline expired hours before the game. The Warriors shipped off two players they are not using, Brad Wanamaker and Marquese Chriss, saving tax dollars and freeing up roster spots. But the larger story was the player they didn’t move: Kelly Oubre Jr., the expiring contract who had at least minor value on the open market.
You can explore a denser breakdown of the decision not to move Oubre. But, in general, this summer will provide a fuller picture of whether that was the correct choice. If Oubre returns, that’s an understandable hold of an early-prime wing capable of helping a rotation. But if he walks, that’s the loss of a player and salary slot (though another trade exception is possible) that cost the Warriors valuable draft capital to obtain.
About 30 minutes after the blowout loss in Sacramento, Oubre spoke to reporters for the first time in about a week. The entire back-and-forth about his future is in video form below, but the relevant portion comes toward the end of the clip. Oubre is asked about the idea of returning to a reduced bench role next season, considering the expected return of Klay Thompson.
“I can’t speak to the future, brother,” Oubre said. “You keep asking me questions like I’m a psychic. But at the end of the day, I’m growing. I’m honing in on my skills in this league, and I can offer a lot more than coming off the bench. At the end of the day, this is my life. I can’t tell the future.”
Advertisement
That was a surprising answer, considering his coach, Steve Kerr, went on 95.7 The Game the day before and said, if Oubre did return, he’d be backing up Thompson and Andrew Wiggins. So the question was raised — after the Warriors front office spent the week shopping around for offers and opted to keep him — whether Oubre had discussed his future with the Warriors before the deadline.
“No,” he said.
Here were Kelly Oubre's full postgame comments about the trade deadline and his possible future with the Warriors pic.twitter.com/TjSi2UXJk3
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 26, 2021
That was an eyebrow-raising cap to a rough night for the Warriors. After toggling back and forth between some win-now rotation decisions and developmental priorities in the first half of the season, they’ve committed to James Wiseman and the youth movement in the second half, a decision sure to have its bumps.
Thursday night was a jarring one. Wiseman might’ve had his worst game to date. He traveled twice and committed an offensive foul in a scoreless, quiet first half. He was mostly floating up and down the court, missed when he was open and struggled during the rare times the ball went his direction.
Nico Mannion, another young, prioritized rotation player, was cooked for a notable chunk of De’Aaron Fox’s career-high 44 points. Other veteran teammates also fell victim; Fox looked awesome. But Wiseman also contributed to one of the Warriors’ worst defensive nights of the season, a collectively poor team effort without Green or Curry.
Wiseman finished with five turnovers and four fouls, rushing and missing five of the eight shots he received in those rare moments when he was involved in the offense. He’s in a funk and continues to carry the weight of those struggles on the court. For the second time this season, he smashed a Gatorade cooler in frustration after returning to the sideline from a subpar stint. He slumps his shoulders after every mistake.
Advertisement
Wiseman often did that early the season, as well. He’s hard on himself and wants to rush his growth process. But even in the first couple of months, he usually had highlight moments and steadier spurts. He’d pepper in a 25-point game here, a double-double there. The Warriors were finding ways to leverage his strengths and better mask his weaknesses. Put plainly: He was playing better in January than March.
That’s a big problem for the Warriors. That’s not the path you want to see from a prized rookie. The wrist sprain and COVID-19 protocols set him back. Everything about his season has been choppy. But he looks less comfortable and confident on the court in his 31st NBA game compared with his 15th.
What are better ways for the Warriors to unlock him?
“Just experience,” Kerr said. “He just needs to play. It’s not about calling plays or doing one thing or another. It’s just about playing. At this level, the game happens so fast and there’s so much to process, there’s a reason that most guys who come into the league without much college experience, there’s a reason they struggle. Look at Kevin Garnett, when he came into the league straight out of high school. You think it went smoothly for him? It’s just minutes. It’s minutes and exposure and experience and understanding that there’s going to be some lumps. Everyone just has to stay patient. It’s going to happen for him.”
The Warriors do have time and finally appear committed to delivering the necessary patience. Wiseman’s name is etched into that starting center spot the rest of the season. Green will likely return to the lineup Friday night, and he looks for an open Wiseman more than any other teammate. His 37 assists to Wiseman this season are the most, ahead of Curry’s 29. Nobody who was on the floor Thursday has delivered more than 14.
Early easy buckets do seem to rev Wiseman’s engine. He typically defends with more energy, rebounds with more physicality and plays with a more alert approach when he gathers a few confidence-boosting dunks, just like his impact and mood seem to wane in every area if he picks up a couple of early fouls or makes a few early mistakes.
That’s an area where he must grow. NBA centers on winning teams can’t let their offensive production affect their defensive effort. The goal is to make Wiseman a winning component by next season. The Warriors have time, but every data point is a hint at which way it’s trending, and the recent indicators have been discouraging.
Advertisement
There were positives to the night. Mannion did hit five 3s, and Juan Toscano-Anderson had another terrific performance in a spot start for Green. One of Thursday’s vacated full-time roster spots is expected to eventually go to him, I’m told, though there is no rush.
Kerr also delivered some postgame positivity, saying, “I still really believe this team is going to make a run down the stretch.” When pressed on why he remains confident after the Warriors dropped below .500, Kerr mentioned the impending return of Green and Curry and the growth he expects from Jordan Poole and Wiseman.
Maybe he proves prophetic and some surprising days are ahead, but Thursday did feel like one of the lower points of this team’s season.
(Photo of De’Aaron Fox and James Wiseman: Rocky Widner / NBAE via Getty Images)
