2016-17 Finish: 38-44

Season Highlight:

Playoffs!

The Warriors have been bad for a long time. And not just bad, but really bad. Prior to this season, if you look back through the years, they finished in the 12th spot in the West in 2015/16, 11th in 2014/15, 10th in 2013/14, dead last in 2012/13 and 2011/12, and so on and so forth. They haven’t made the playoffs since the second season of the NLL, way back in 2003/04. So, when Golden State racked up 13 more wins than the previous season and squeaked into the playoffs (getting in by virtue of a tiebreaker), the virtual people of Oakland went bananas. This was a huge deal and a major accomplishment for MaiLo’s team.

Season Lowlight:

The celebration of making the playoffs was short-lived, as the Warriors were swept by the Kings, who had far too much talent for Golden State to have any chance.While it was a disappointing way to close out the season, they are a young team that’s only getting better, so it’s unlikely that the playoffs will continue to be a once-in-13-years kind of thing.

Best Trade:

In a draft day trade, the Warriors engaged in a three-team deal with Detroit and Sacramento. Golden State traded away Luol Deng (who is barely even a shell of the player he once was) and Donovan Mitchell, a rookie from Louisville who has garnered a lot of praise following his excellent Summer League showing. In exchange, they brought in Nicolas Batum, an established and quality starter who ESPN describes in this way: “Batum was one of 23 players to average at least 13 PPG, 1.5 3PPG and 1.5 steals-plus-blocks on a nightly basis. That might not sound like elite company, but when you consider that this was the fifth time in six years that Batum recorded that stat line, you gain a little more appreciation for what he can do.” They also picked up Lucas Nogueira who, outside of an outstanding head of hair, is probably not going to be much of a contributor.

This isn’t a trade without some second-guessing, however. Getting rid of Luol Deng was an unquestionable positive. He’s paid far more than what he’s worth at this point in his career. But the question mark is Mitchell. After the way he performed in Summer League, some may be thinking that Golden State let a potential star slip through their fingers. But he’s also an unknown quantity who probably won’t contribute in a significant way anytime soon. Batum, on the other hand, is a known quantity, and a significant upgrade that makes the Warriors immediately better.

Worst Trades:

The W’s took some heat for their trade with Phoenix that sent Wilson Chandler, Ian Clark, OKC’s 2017 2nd rounder, and GS’s 2018 2nd rounder to the Suns in exchange for Jon Leuer and TJ McConnell. Chandler was viewed as being the better of the two forwards getting swapped, and Clark the better of the two guards. So Golden State, in the eyes of the critics, was sending away two better players and giving up draft picks.

Another trade that didn’t get much attention at the time but could have GS wishing for a do-over was a trade at the beginning of last season with OKC. The Thunder sent Joffrey Lauvergne and their 2017 2nd rounder to the Warriors, and got back Dallas’ 2017 first rounder. Dallas ultimately got that pick back and tanked their way to a #2 pick, landing Lonzo Ball. Of course, if Dallas didn’t get their pick back, they probably wouldn’t have gone into full tank mode and may not have ended up with the #2 pick. But no matter what, it would have been a relatively high first round pick. And giving that up in exchange for Joffrey Lauvergne and an inconsequential pick has got to sting a little.

Other Notable Trades:

GS traded Kosta Koufos and Larry Nance, Jr. to Portland, in exchange for Frank Kaminsky and Jose Barea. This was likely a need-based move for the Warriors, facing a glut of big men and a dearth of little(r) men.

The Warriors sent Mike Muscala to Cleveland in exchange for Rodney Stuckey and the Lakers’ 2017 2nd rounder. Again, another case of having too many big men and an opportunity to pick up a draft pick.

Golden State acquired Paul Zipser, a rookie SG from Germany, from Dallas in exchange for the Warriors’ 2019 2nd rounder and 5 GM points. Zipser isn’t much of an impact player yet, and may not ever be. But he filled a hole.

Another trade the W’s took some heat for was a trade with Brooklyn, where the Warriors received Shabazz Muhammad in exchange for Golden State’s 2018 1st rounder. The 2018 first round isn’t projected to be nearly as talent-filled as 2017 and, if they Warriors continue their climb up the standings, that pick will be in the late teens or early 20s.

The Star:

Harrison Barnes

Still young at just 25, Barnes had the best year of his career thus far. In each season, his ppg have steadily risen, from 8 ppg in his rookie season, up to 20 ppg in 2015-16. However, he took a fairly significant leap again this past season. In 2015-16, he averaged 20 ppg while playing 38 minutes per game. Last season, he played 6 ½ fewer minutes per game, but increased his scoring average to 24 points per game. Additionally, he improved both his FG% and 3P% by 5 percent from the previous season. He improved his free-throw percentage as well, up to 83%. This is especially encouraging as he found himself getting to the line far more often than he has in any of his previous seasons (475 attempts in 2016/17 vs. 285 attempts in 2015/16). It seems unlikely that Barnes will continue to see such a dramatic improvement in seasons to come, particularly as he’ll likely have the luxury of sharing the load with other emerging stars on the team.

A year ago, people pointed to Harrison Barnes as an example of some of the ridiculous contracts that were handed out in the 2016 offseason. And make no mistake, there were some absurd contracts offered last year (and quite a few this year). But at this point, Barnes no longer appears to be one of them.

Surprise:

Dario Saric

Maybe not a complete surprise, as Saric was a stud in Europe when he was originally drafted in 2014 and even moreso when he eventually came to the NLL last season. But it’s always a bit of an unknown how a European player will adjust to the NLL. Some thrive, while many others struggle to make an impact. Because of his experience, Dario played like a veteran, averaging 10 points and 5 boards in a little over 20 minutes per game. There are areas of his game that need to improve. But he’s still only 23 years old and it seems like he’s got the potential to be a legitimate star before too long.

Goat:

Marcus Smart
It’s unusual to see a player fall off so far so fast. Marcus Smart came into the league 3 years ago and was an immediate star, averaging over 24 points per game in his rookie season. He cooled off a bit in his second year, but still averaged 20 ppg. But last season, his FG% fell 7 percent from the previous season, down to 37%. His 3 3-point percentage dropped 9% to a dismal 24%. And his free-throw percentage dropped precipitously, down from an outstanding 87% in 2015/16 to a mediocre 73% last season. As a result, he only averaged 7.8 points in 31 minutes per game. For the Warriors to contend with the top teams in the East, they need Smart to step it up.  

Draft Report Card:

The Warriors participated in a draft day deal, and later ended up picking up a different rookie. So we’ll take a look at what they’ve got now.

#16 - Donovan Mitchell - As noted above, the Warriors drafted Donovan Mitchell, who they then packaged in a trade that would bring Nicolas Batum to Golden State. This move made it into the best trades section because the Warriors capitalized on the excitement over the rookie to acquire someone who can help them win now. True, Mitchell could very well be a star, as he dominated the opposition during Summer League play. But if the Warriors kept Mitchell, they could have added an asset to a young team that’s building a playoff team of the future. But keep in mind that the Warriors finally made the playoffs this year and they probably want to make the playoffs again next year. Not set their sights for another 2 or 3 years down the road.

#32 - Josh Hart - In the offseason, the Warriors gave their 2020 first rounder to Denver in exchange for Hart, a four-year star for Villanova. People tend to have mixed opinions on four-year players. Some appreciate the experience and feel that they’re going to be more NBA-ready. Others argue that if they were good enough, they wouldn’t have needed to stay in college for four years. But Josh Hart did lead the Wildcats to a National Championship in 2016 through solid defense and a 19 ppg average. Though he was considered a potential steal at #32, the Warriors faced criticism for giving up a first round pick for an unproven 2nd round player. In a recent press release from the team, GM Mailo explained that they are "betting on two things with this one. First on Hart, that he become a solid 3 and D guy in the NLL. Second on me and my team, that our first 2020 will be a pick in the 20th and not a lottery pick." It’s a gamble, sure. But a logical one.

#60 - Ognjen Jaramaz - The Warriors lucked out with this year’s Mr. Irrelevant pick. He’s a draft and stash guy, and struggled during Summer League. So he may be stashed forever.

Upcoming Free Agents:

Shabazz Muhammad – Well, they gave up a first rounder to get him, so they sure as hell aren’t going to let him go now. In the 20 games he played for the Warriors after bringing him in, he played 15 minutes per game and averaged 6.7 ppg. Not terrible, but nothing to write home about either. But in his 10 preseason games thus far, Muhammad is lighting it up, averaging 12 points in 15 minutes, shooting a 44% field goal percentage and 52% from three. Golden State is hoping that this is just a precursor of things to come.

Joffrey Lauvergne – Pop has been complimentary of Lauvergne’s play in training camp, and it looks like there’s a good chance he’ll be seeing more minutes this year. Might be worth trying to keep him around.

Looking to the Future:

Having made the playoffs for the first time in 13 years, the Warriors aren’t about to lose that upward momentum. And they’ve made some moves that should keep them in contention for a playoff spot. And, since they’re still a young team that have a number of players that are good and getting better. Kaminsky, Saric, Barnes, Batum, and Smart have an average age of 25. Batum being the old man of the group at 28. The rest are young and on the rise. This should be a season that sees a rating boost for all of those guys. This is a team built for the future. Golden state could stand to beef up their bench a bit, but there doesn’t look to be any reason why they shouldn’t improve on last year’s record and make the playoffs for a 2nd year in a row.