Seven things we learned about Warriors during first half

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When the Warriors opened camp in December, Klay Thompson was a week out of surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon, Draymond Green and James Wiseman were sidelined with illness and continuity was a thing of the distant past.Two active players -- Stephen Curry and Kevon Looney -- had been under standard contract with the team for more than one year.From that rose a team that spent the first half of the season performing about as expected, a maddening mix of competence and ineptitude that yielded a lukewarm soup of mediocre. They’re 19-18, winning a couple games they probably should have lost and losing four of five they definitely should have won.With the front side of the schedule ending Thursday in Phoenix, what did we learn over the first 37 games?Here are seven things that come to mind:

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1/7

He’s the sun around which the Warriors revolve, essential to keeping the offense from resembling a vacant lot. Stephen Curry is, as Captain Obvious might say, the team MVP.

He will not, however, dictate where the Warriors finish in the Western Conference.

That’s up to his teammates.

Curry is a proven commodity, capable of excelling under most any conditions.

He’s going to make a positive impact no matter the results. His presence emboldens his coaches, terrifies opponents and, above all else, puts his teammates in an optimal position to succeed.

Draymond Green has to be his best self, which he was through February.

Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre Jr. have to be visible and productive on a semi-regular basis.

The second unit can’t give back the gains seized by Curry.

If Curry’s teammates can’t take advantage of the opportunities he affords, the Warriors finish closer to 10th than fifth. If they can, they’ll be closer to fifth.

2/7

James Wiseman wants to win the Rookie of the Year award. He won’t.

If LaMelo Ball’s second half is anything like his first, during which he became the floor leader of a Charlotte Hornets team suddenly relevant, the award is his.

Wiseman, however, is off to a very good start by most big-man measurements, and by any 19-year-old big man measurement.

His per-36-minutes averages -- 21.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.9 blocks through Wednesday -- are more than the Warriors could reasonably have asked of someone with three games of collegiate experience and practically no NBA training camp.

Take a peek at some pertinent rookie per-36 numbers:

Giannis Antetokounmpo (age 19): 10.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.2 blocks.
Andre Drummond (19): 13.8 points, 13.2 rebounds, 2.8 blocks.
Kevin Garnett (19): 13.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks.
Nikola Jokic (20): 16.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists.
Karl-Anthony Towns (20): 20.6 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks.

We can quibble about Wiseman’s hands, his willingness to get physical, his ability to read the floor, but his thirst for knowledge should catch up to his prodigious physical gifts.

3/7

There is no truly elite defense in the NBA, none that compares to the best of yesteryear, as in 2017-18. The No. 1 defense belongs to the Los Angeles Lakers, whose 106.1 rating would have been ninth in 2018.

The Warriors are sixth, at 108.7. Three years ago, that would have put them 17th, right behind Dallas, which is never known for defense. It’s a different NBA, a league of spacing, and it tilts toward offense.

But the Warriors have grown enough to shine brightest when it matters most: the fourth quarter. They were 18th, at 110.8, through January but have since climbed to No. 1 by a wide margin. Their 97.1 4Q rating is miles ahead of the No. 2 Lakers (101.4).

There are times when someone falls asleep, gets burned on a gamble or fails to rebound. But we’ve seen enough to know the Warriors can be elite on D when they need to be.

4/7

You know there were questions. The entire league knew there were questions. And there is zero doubt Andrew Wiggins knew that, despite his well-known athleticism, there was widespread suspicion about his willingness to play effective defense.

So, that was the subject on top of mind for Wiggins and it showed. He proved not only that he would defend but that he could do it effectively.

Defense is a matter of pride and persistence, and Wiggins is showing he possesses both. He has been among NBA leaders in challenging shots and leads the Warriors in blocks. His rebounding needs to be better that 4.5 per game, but we’ll cut him some slack given his duties defending the perimeter.

Wiggins still has a lot of work ahead to shed the reputation he earned in Minnesota, but his defense has been at least as impressive as the Warriors had hoped.

5/7

If it seems like the Warriors miss a lot of layups, then you’re paying attention. In the loss Wednesday at Portland, they were 1-of-5 on shots within five feet inside the final three minutes.

They’re shooting 62.4 percent within five feet of the basket, ranking 13th in the NBA. Deduct their 204 dunks, the percentage drops to 53.3. The chance of getting a bucket within touching distance of the rim is only slightly better than not. And no man is immune.

Some layups hit all backboard, while others get no further than the front or side of the rim. Some roll around the rim and off, and a few barely scrape the rim. Most games are decided by four or five possessions. A missed bunny at one end that leads to a 3-ball on the other, as happened in the final seconds in Portland, is a five-point setback.

Yes, they’re small. But if they can’t finish better, it will haunt them.

6/7

The whispers began after the 2019 NBA Finals and increased in volume during the debacle that was Golden State’s 2019-20 season.

Draymond Green will be a drag on the payroll because he is finished as an impact player.

There was sufficient deductive reasoning behind the conclusion. His shot had deserted him, minor injuries were nagging, the toll on a body battered from long seasons and frequent wars against players 20-30 pounds bigger. Plus, he would turn 31 on March 4.

But it’s risky to doubt a man whose career is built on silencing skeptics.

Draymond is at it again, even as his 3-point shot remains an adventure. His team defense is elite and his individual defense very good; no one is more responsible for the Warriors being solid on that end.

His non-scoring offense has been fabulous. He understands how to unlock Curry, and how to leverage Curry’s presence into unlocking others. He matters. Greatly.

7/7

That Warriors CEO Joe Lacob authorized such a massive financial outlay for Kelly Oubre Jr., $80 million or so for an expiring contract, reeks of a franchise desperate to avoid a second consecutive forgettable season.

The investment immediately plummeted to rock bottom, as Oubre, starting at shooting guard, went through the most difficult stretch of his career. He missed his first 17 3-pointers, was 7-of-51 from deep in his first 10 games as a Warrior.

He was, by his own description, “sh---y.”

Playing quality defense while fighting through it, Oubre never visibly sulked. He started coming out of it in late-January and submitted a phenomenal February.

His stock rebounded nicely.

He never was as bad as the first five weeks indicated, and he’s not quite as wonderful as he was over the last six weeks. He has done enough for the Warriors to consider scenarios in which he stays with them.

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