Evaluating The 2021 Golden State Warriors

July 18th, 2021

By Alan Lu

The Warriors barely missed the playoffs this past year, and they came very close, but they lost twice in the play-in tournament.  They had some tremendous games from superstar point guard, Stephen Curry, and they had a renaissance year from Draymond Green, who contended for the Defensive Player of the Year award once again.  They managed to make the most in a year where Klay Thompson missed the second straight year due to an ACL injury.  More or less, under head coach Steve Kerr, the Warriors basically were able to meet their expectations this season.

Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre were inconsistent as they were up and down, but both of them had their good moments at times.  The Warriors were expected to contend for the playoffs, and they managed to get to the play-in tournament, but they ran out of gas, as they lost to both the Lakers and the Grizzlies to barely miss the playoffs.  They didn’t have enough depth or offensive players outside of their starting lineup, and they had to rely on some of their less heralded bench players, as they struggled to generate offense late in those games.  Still, the Warriors had a fairly successful season despite just barely missing the playoffs.

Golden State Warriors’ superstar point guard, Stephen Curry turned into a tremendous season, as he returned to top form. Curry was dominant this year, and Warriors’ fans will be excited to see their team at full strength with a fully healthy Klay Thompson next season.
(Photo:
Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group, via Monterey Herald)

G Stephen Curry
2021 (GSW): 63 GP, 32 PPG, 5.8 APG, 5.5 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 48 FG%, 42 3PT%, 92 FT%, 26.3 PER, 65.5 TS%, 9 WS, .201 WS48

Curry played at an MVP-level this past season, and he was tremendous for his team this year.  He did a terrific job of shooting and scoring the basketball, and he played well in virtually every facet of the game, as he had a definitively strong, bounce back year.

2021 Season Grade: A
Expected 2022 NBA Role: Starting point guard on the Golden State Warriors
Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 4 stars

Golden State Warriors’ star forward, Draymond Green made first-team All-Defense once again, as it was his fourth time being named on the All-Defensive first team, and sixth time being named to either of the All-Defense teams in his NBA career.
(Photo:
Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images, via SB Nation’s Golden State of Mind)

F-C Draymond Green
2021 (GSW): 63 GP, 7 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.7 APG, 45 FG%, 27 3PT%, 79.5 FT%, 13.3 PER, 53 TS%, 4.6 WS, .112 WS48

Green had a solid season overall.  He was considerably more efficient as a scorer compared to last year, and Green really excelled as a facilitator and defender this past season.

2021 Season Grade: B+
Expected 2022 NBA Role: Starting power forward on the Golden State Warriors
Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 3 stars

F Andrew Wiggins
2021 (GSW): 71 GP, 18.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1 BPG, 48 FG%, 38 3PT%, 71 FT%, 15 PER, 57 TS%, 3.9 WS, .080 WS48

Wiggins was able to have a fairly solid season, as he was more efficient as a shooter and scorer than he seemed to ever be for the Timberwolves.  He wasn’t nearly as effective as a facilitator, but he still was a much more viable offensive player than he had been in seasons’ past.

2021 Season Grade: B
Expected 2022 NBA Role: Starting small forward on the Golden State Warriors
Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 2.5 stars

G-F Kelly Oubre
2021 (GSW): 55 GP, 15.4 PPG, 6 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1 SPG, 44 FG%, 32 3PT%, 69.5 FT%, 13.3 PER, 53 TS%, 2.2 WS, .062 WS48

Oubre arrived in a big trade as he was thought to be a key factor to get the Warriors back to the playoffs, but he was the source of frustration and ire for plenty of Warriors fans most of this season, as he struggled to shoot or score nearly as well as he had for previous teams.  He played better in the second half, but it didn’t seem that he ever had a firm grasp on Kerr’s system, nor was as productive of a player as he could’ve been on either end of the floor.

2021 Season Grade: D
Expected 2022 NBA Role: Rotation player on the Golden State Warriors
Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 2 stars (2.5 stars potential)

Oubre will be an unrestricted free agent (UFA) at the end of the 2020-21 NBA season.

C Kevon Looney
2021 (GSW): 61 GP, 4.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, 55 FG%, 65 FT%, 11.9 PER, 57.5 TS%, 3.4 WS, .139 WS48

He had a much better season this year than the previous one.  Though Lonney didn’t score very often, he was efficient in making shots, he passed the ball well, and he also was effective as a defender for his team.

2021 Season Grade: B
Expected 2022 NBA Role: Rotation player on the Golden State Warriors
Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 2 stars

Looney has a player option that he can exercise to opt into his contract for next season.

C James Wiseman
2021 (GSW): 39 GP, 11.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 52 FG%, 32 3PT%, 63 FT%, 13.1 PER, 55 TS%, 0.7 WS, .042 WS48

Wiseman had put up solid numbers in just three games as a freshman last season before he ended up shutting down due to being embroiled in a bitter dispute with the NCAA that put his eligibility into question.  He was drafted at two, and he was seen to be a safe, conventional pick that filled a need for the Warriors.

However, as the season played out, it seemed as if Wiseman became too much of a conventional pick, and he didn’t quite play as well as expected, nor was the best fit for Steve Kerr’s system.  He was able to score and rebound in volume, but he didn’t shoot nor defend as well as hoped, and he didn’t seem to show as much perimeter skills as he was thought to have.  Even worse, others that the Warriors had passed up on such as LaMelo Ball and Tyrese Haliburton turned out to be far better, and both would likely have been better fits for the Warriors’ fast paced, spread out offensive style.  Wiseman didn’t have a terrible rookie season, but it also wasn’t memorable enough for him to be put on or to be considered for any of the All-Rookie teams either.

2021 Season Grade: C
Expected 2022 NBA Role: Rotation player on the Golden State Warriors
Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 2 stars (3 stars potential)

G Jordan Poole
2021 (GSW): 51 GP, 12 PPG, 1.9 APG, 1.8 RPG, 43 FG%, 35 3PT%, 88 FT%, 15.1 PER, 58 TS%, 1.9 WS, .094 WS48

He played well for the Warriors, especially in the second half of the season.  He thrived as a shooter and scorer, and he also was able to be a secondary ball mover for his team as well.  He’ll still need to continue to improve his three-point shot and defense, but that he played much better than expected is a positive sign for things to come for him in the future.

2021 Season Grade: B
Expected 2022 NBA Role: Rotation player on the Golden State Warriors
Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 2 stars (2.5 stars potential)

G-F Juan Toscano-Anderson
2021 (GSW): 53 GP, 5.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.8 APG, 58 FG%, 40 3PT%, 71 FT%, 12.6 PER, 68 TS%, 3 WS, .130 WS48

He had a solid season, as he excelled as a shooter, facilitator, and defender this past season.  Toscano-Anderson was valuable as a role player on the Warriors’ team as he did just about everything well, but he didn’t shoot the ball nearly enough on offense.

2021 Season Grade: B+
Expected 2022 NBA Role: Rotation player on the Golden State Warriors
Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 2 stars

G-F Damion Lee
2021 (GSW): 57 GP, 6.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.3 APG, 47 FG%, 40 3PT%, 91 FT%, 11.8 PER, 64 TS%, 2.7 WS, .119 WS48

Lee excelled as a shooter and defender, as he played well in a 3 and D role for his team this past season.  He didn’t score or play nearly as often, but he was effective in a bench role this year.

2021 Season Grade: B
Expected 2022 NBA Role: Rotation player on the Golden State Warriors
Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 2 stars

Lee is on a non-guaranteed contract for next season.

G-F Kent Bazemore
2021 (GSW): 67 GP, 7.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.0 SPG, 45 FG%, 41 3PT%, 69 FT%, 10.6 PER, 56 TS%, 1.8 WS, .065 WS48

Bazemore excelled as a shooter, facilitator, and defender this past season, and he was able to play a key role on this team.  He faltered in the play-in tournament games, but he proved to be a much more valuable role player this year than initially thought.

2021 Season Grade: B
Expected 2022 NBA Role: Rotation player on the Golden State Warriors
Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 2 stars

Bazemore will be an unrestricted free agent (UFA) at the end of the 2020-21 NBA season.

F-C Eric Paschall
2021 (GSW): 40 GP, 9.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.3 APG, 50 FG%, 33 3PT%, 71 FT%, 13.4 PER, 56 TS%, 0.9 WS, .062 WS48

He didn’t quite play nearly as much as anticipated, and Paschall appeared to have stagnated as a young player right now.  He can shoot and score the basketball, but he’s more of a mid-range shooter than a three-point shooter, and while he has solid playmaking skills, he’s not a great rebounder nor defender at this stage.  He’s essentially like a poor man’s version of Draymond, but there’s not a huge need for the Warriors to play Paschall when they actually have Draymond Green playing for them.

2021 Season Grade: D+
Expected 2022 NBA Role: Rotation player on the Golden State Warriors
Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 2 stars

Golden State Warriors’ guard, Mychal Mulder had a solid second season, and he was named to the 2021 Rising Stars Challenge this year.
(Photo:
David Zalubowski/Associated Press, via The San Francisco Chronicle)

G Mychal Mulder
2021 (GSW): 60 GP, 5.6 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 45 FG%, 40 3PT%, 64 FT%, 10.8 PER, 61 TS%, 1.2 WS, .075 WS48

He had a solid second season, as he was named to the rookies-sophomores game though there was no match in itself, and Mulder primarily excelled as a Bryn Forbes-type of shooter on the floor.  He seems to only do one thing well, but he does it very well, and shooting is Mulder’s definitive specialty in the NBA.

2021 Season Grade: B
Expected 2022 NBA Role: Rotation player on the Golden State Warriors
Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 2 stars

He is on a non-guaranteed contract for next season.

G Nico Mannion
2021 (GSW): 30 GP, 4.1 PPG, 2.3 APG, 1.5 RPG, 34 FG%, 37 3PT%, 82 FT%, 9.3 PER, 49 TS%, 0.2 WS, .029 WS48
2021 (G-League): 19.3 PPG, 6.9 APG, 3.4 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 41 FG%, 36 3PT%, 77 FT%, 15.5 PER, 53 TS%, 0.2 WS, .039 WS48

Mannion had an up and down season this year.  He did a much better job of making threes than anticipated, but he struggled to make shots consistently or to score efficiently in general.  He excelled as a facilitator and as a rebounder, but he struggled to defend his opponents.  Still, he’s flashed enough potential to develop into a backup point guard role in the NBA.

2021 Season Grade: C
Expected 2022 NBA Role: Back end roster player, possible back end of the rotation player in the NBA
Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 1.5 stars (2 stars potential)

G Gary Payton II
2021 (GSW): 10 GP, 2.5 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 77 FG%, 50 3PT%, 75 FT%, 29.2 PER, 85 TS%, 0.3 WS, .331 WS48
2021 (G-League): 13 GP, 10.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.6 APG, 2.5 SPG, 55 FG%, 18 3PT%, 69 FT%, 23.4 PER, 61 TS%, 1 WS, .169 WS48

Payton played extremely well in limited minutes for Golden State.   It is a shame that he didn’t get more playing time as he was very effective when he played in the NBA this year.  On the other hand, while Payton has shown that he can really defend at the NBA level, he has not really been able to establish himself as a consistent shooter or facilitator for extended stretches in the association.

2021 Season Grade: A
Expected 2022 NBA Role: Back end roster player, possible back end of the rotation player in the NBA
Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 1.5 stars

Payton is on a non-guaranteed contract for next season.

F-C Jordan Bell (Two-Way)
2021 (WAS/GSW): 6 GP, 2.5 PPG, 4 RPG, 1.2 APG, 32 FG%, 50 FT%, 8 PER, 33 TS%, 0 WS, -.008 WS48
2021 (G-League): 7 GP, 17.6 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, 2 BPG, 1.3 SPG, 81 FG%, 73 FT%, 31.2 PER, 86 TS%, 1.1 WS, .278 WS48

Bell was once a cherished, promising, shot-blocking rookie big man that played a pivotal role on a championship basketball team with the Warriors.  He had a publicized dispute with head coach Steve Kerr early into his NBA career, and his career ended up toiling to the point where Bell is now a basketball vagabond that had to come crawling back to the Warriors on a two-way contract years later.

He has not really played much ever since he left Golden State the first time, and he’s barely clinged onto a spot in the NBA in the past two seasons, including this year.  Bell did dominate in the G-League, and he could be a solid rotation player if NBA teams will ever decide to let him back into one.

2021 Season Grade: C
Expected 2022 NBA Role: Back end roster player, possible back end of the rotation player in the NBA
Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 1.5 stars

F-C Alen Smailagic
2021 (GSW): 15 GP, 1.9 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 41 FG%, 40 3PT%, 33 FT%, 8.9 PER, 47 TS%, 0 WS, .015 WS48
2021 (G-League): 10 GP, 7.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.5 APG, 52 FG%, 15 3PT%, 67 FT%, 14.2 PER, 59 TS%, 0.1 WS, .040 WS48

Though Smailagic excelled at making threes in very limited attempts in the NBA this year, he didn’t shoot the ball well in general, and he didn’t make threes at a high rate in the G-League this past season.  Unfortunately for him, he seems to be going somewhat backwards in his development.  He’s shown more shot blocking skills, but Smailagic is really struggling to rebound or to make shots in the NBA, and he didn’t pass the ball nearly as well as he had last year. 

While Smailagic has been solid in the G-League, he’s been far more turnover prone than usual, and he didn’t shoot nearly as well as expected.  Right now, he hasn’t really shown enough to get consistent playing time on the Warriors, and he may need to be traded to a worse team to be able to get minutes in the future.

2021 Season Grade: D
Expected 2022 NBA Role: Back end roster player, possible back end of the rotation player in the NBA (Rotation player in the G-League)
Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 1 star (2 stars potential)

Smailagic is on a non-guaranteed contract for next season.

G-F Klay Thompson
2021 (GSW): DNP – Out for the Season (Achilles Injury)

The Golden State Warriors and their fans are waiting on Klay Thompson to make his heroic and triumphant return from injury….which could happen someday, and hopefully Thompson could return next season.
(Photo:
Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images, via Complex)

He was expected to make a big return, but he injured his Achilles, and missed his second straight season in the NBA.

2021 Season: I (I for Incomplete)
Expected 2022 NBA Role: Starting Shooting Guard of the Golden State Warriors
Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 3.5 stars

Head Coach:
Steve Kerr
2021 (GSW): 39-33, did not make the playoffs
Coaching Career: 376-171, 77-28 in his playoff career, won 3 NBA titles as a head coach with the 2015 Golden State Warriors, 2017 Golden State Warriors, and the 2018 Golden State Warriors

Though the Golden State Warriors barely missed the playoffs this year, Steve Kerr did a pretty good job of leading the Warriors. Klay Thompson missed another season due to a torn Achilles, but they got great seasons out of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, and the Warriors managed to get to the play-in tournament.
(Photo:
Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group, via The Mercury News)

In his first 5 seasons as an NBA head coach, Kerr proved himself to be one of the smartest, brightest, most creative coaches in the league, as he had won 3 titles, and showed the ability to succeed with smaller lineups as well as to work in innovative, motion offenses to mold it with superstars.   It can be argued that he might be a little off his game right now, as the Warriors haven’t technically made the playoffs in two seasons, but they were really close in a year where they were hamstrung and without Klay Thompson for the second season in a row.

With Klay Thompson out again, it was going to be tough for head coach, Steve Kerr to manage the expectations that the fanbase had for him, as they were getting a healthy Stephen Curry back, but Kerr had to work in new, inexperienced players and coach them for a full season.

That said, he did a pretty good job, even though they barely missed the playoffs.  Kerr was able to get Stephen Curry to play at an MVP-level, and Draymond was back to playing at a DPOY-level, as he defended very well this past season.

Kelly Oubre and James Wiseman may not have quite have played as well as expected, and the Warriors fell just short by narrowly losing in both of their play-in tournament games, but that was more due to a lack of depth and offensive weapons off the bench more so than anything.  Kerr can be a great coach when he has a lot of skilled, versatile players to work with, and that he took the Warriors this far was pretty good in itself, especially compared to the previous season.

2021 Season Grade: B
Expected 2022 NBA Role: Head Coach of the Golden State Warriors
Projected 2022 NBA Rating: 3.5 stars

A Brief Summary of the 2020-21 Golden State Warriors’ Season:

The Warriors got awfully close to the playoffs, and it was kind of heartbreaking that they weren’t able to, especially since they came awfully close to beat the Lakers in a play-in tournament game.  Some fans may have been upset about the fate of the 2021 Warriors, but they still won plenty of games, and they received really strong, bounce back seasons from superstars, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.

The 2020-21 Golden State Warriors’ Season Grade: B-

The Golden State Warriors’ Projected 2021-22 NBA Rotation:

Projected Starters:
C Kevon Looney
F Draymond Green
F Andrew Wiggins
G Klay Thompson
G Stephen Curry

Key Reserves:
C James Wiseman
The 7th Overall Pick of the 2021 NBA Draft
The 14th Overall Pick of the 2021 NBA Draft
G-F Juan Toscano-Anderson
G-F Damion Lee

Others competing for a spot in the rotation next season:
G Jordan Poole
F-C Eric Paschall
G Mychal Mulder
G-F Kent Bazemore
G Nico Mannion

Impending Unrestricted Free Agents:
G-F Kelly Oubre – Not Expected Back
G-F Kent Bazemore – Expected Back

Players with an Impending Player Option:
C Kevon Looney – Expected Back

Projected Players Cut From Next Season’s Roster:
C Alen Smailagic
C Jordan Bell (Two-Way Contract)
G Gary Payton II (Non-Guaranteed)

Projected Offseason Plan for the Golden State Warriors:
The Warriors are definitely over the cap, and it is uncertain if they will re-sign Kelly Oubre or Kent Bazemore.

Right now, they’ll need more skilled bench players to bolster their roster, and they need players that can get a firmer grasp of Steve Kerr’s offense.  The Warriors have two picks, and they could look to get players that would fit his system well.

The 2022 Warriors’ Expected Win-Loss Record, and Projected 2022 Season Finish:
42-40, 9th in the Western Conference

Expected 2022 Season Outcome: 
The 2022 Warriors could end up being a mid to lower-tier playoff team in the West, as a 5th to 8th seed.

They might get a healthy Klay Thompson back, but Kelly Oubre could cash out to try to get paid in free agency with another team, and the potential lack of depth for the Warriors could make it difficult for the Warriors to meet their old, lofty expectations when Steph, Klay, and Draymond were all healthy together.

Most likely, the Warriors will find a backdoor into the playoffs in 2022, but it might be tougher than expected as they are all aging and are injury-prone, and may be likely to have a lower than expected seed in the playoffs in the 5-8 range.

I primarily went to Basketball-Reference and No Trade Clause for research purposes. For more information on my ratings scale and how I rate NBA players and coaches, you can find it here. Thanks for reading.

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