At age 37, Stephen Curry remains one of the game’s elite No. 1 shot creators and scorers. If there were doubters, Curry shut them up during the Paris Olympics.
But who is the Warriors No. 2 scorer?
The Warriors don’t have one. For years it was Klay Thompson, but he’s in Dallas now (and he hasn’t been that guy for a few of years anyway). Draymond Green is still an elite defender and passing big man in the half-court, but he’s never been a No. 2 scoring option.
So who is going to take on that role? The Warriors have options, but every one of those comes with questions.
Let’s look at those options.
JONATHAN KUMINGA
Kuminga is the most likely person to fill that role, he was the Warriors third-leading scorer a season ago at 16.1 points a game, (behind Curry and Thompson). However, the 22-year-old entering his fourth season needs to take a big step forward to make that a reality.
That has to start with his shooting — last season Kuminga shot 62.1% inside 10 feet, and 30.8% outside that line. More than anything Kuminga needs to take and make more 3-pointers — he has averaged just 2.2 attempts a game each of the past two seasons, and last season he knocked down just 32.1% of those shots.
In the Warriors system (even modified some to better fit his skill set), Golden State needs Kuminga to space the floor as a shooter plus be more of a shot creator for others.
Kuminga also has to remain focused — he is eligible for a contract extension through Oct. 21, but the sides reportedly are not particularly close to getting a deal done. If it doesn’t come together before the season starts, Kuminga will be playing for his next contract all season long, and while that can be a motivation he can’t let it become a distraction.
Kuminga is at the front of the line, he will get a chance to be the Warriors No. 2 option. Will he grab it?
ANDREW WIGGINS
Golden State needs Wiggins to step up whether or not Kuminga does. Dreams of the Warriors returning to being one of the top teams in the West hinges in part on Wiggins returning to his 2022 form, particularly his playoff form for that season.
In 2022, Wiggins was an All-Star Starter and averaged 17.2 points a game, shooting 39.3% on 5.5 3-point attempts a game. Last season, those numbers fell to 13.2 points a game, 3.6 attempts from 3 a game, and shooting 35.8% on those. Wiggins has been famously inconsistent over the course of his NBA career and that has continued in Golden State — the Warriors need that to change. They need the best of Wiggins nightly.
Wiggins will be given the chance to have the ball in his hands more, but will the up-and-down 11-year veteran do anything with that chance?
TRADE FOR ANOTHER STAR
Golden State tried hard this summer to trade for Paul George and, later, Lauri Markkanen. Neither of those deals for a high-level secondary shot creator got particularly close.
The Warriors will not stop trying.
If — in reality, when —a significant shot creator who can play next to Curry becomes available, particularly a wing or power forward, the Warriors will jump in the mix. They have enough first-round draft picks and promising young players on the roster to entice teams, it just comes down to what other teams are willing to offer and what the player wants (for example, Markkanen didn’t want to leave Utah). This does not mean the Warriors will give everything up for Zach LaVine or Brandon Ingram — two players who are available — Golden State will wait for better options.
One way or another, the Warriors will push for that second star because they told Stephen Curry they would get one and be competitive as long as he stays with the team — and he signed a contract extension this summer.
“It always has been and still is a goal of mine to be a Warrior for life, to stay competitive throughout that process,” Curry said on media day. “I’m very confident in the fact of being here and being a relevant winning team is possible. Until I’m proven otherwise, that’s the way I’m moving forward.”
WARRIORS FANTASY PERSPECTIVE
From Raphielle Johnson of NBC Sports:
Who is the Warriors’ No. 2 option is an essential question for the Warriors to answer, especially in a highly competitive Western Conference. For his struggles at various stages of last season, Klay Thompson was still that guy. Now that he’s gone, a massive hole opens for someone to fill. Given his production last season, Jonathan Kuminga should be that guy. He averaged 16.1 points per game on 52.9% shooting from the field. However, I doubt his ability to score more than around the basket. According to the NBA’s tracking data, 64.1% of Kuminga’s field goal attempts were within 10 feet of the basket, and he shot 32.8% on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers.
So, I’ll roll the dice on Brandin Podziemski. As a rookie, he averaged 9.2 points on 45.4% shooting from the field. To say he’ll be Golden State’s second-leading scorer is to expect a significant jump in production. However, with the Warriors wanting Podziemski to increase his 3-point attempts to 8-10 per game and a possible place in the starting lineup, he had an excellent opportunity in front of him. Similar to his season at Santa Clara, I think Podziemski is ready to take advantage of and be an asset for fantasy managers this season.
From Ameer Tyreefrom the NBC Sports fantasy team:
Stephen Curry is splash sibling-less now that Klay Thompson has departed to join the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the 2024-25 season. The sharpshooter played a crucial role for the Golden State Warriors as the team’s secondary scorer for years, but now a new player needs to step up as the Dubs’ second option. But who should fill Thompson’s shoes?
The most glaring option is Jonathan Kuminga. The fourth-year swingman stepped up into a larger role for multiple stints in 2023-24 and didn’t have a problem ramping up his productivity. His averages of 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists only received a modest boost in the 46 games he started. Kuminga only started in three games without Thomson last season. He posted impressive averages of 21.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per contest in those outings while shooting 58.7% from the field.
Kuminga was a top 100 fantasy player in his latest campaign and outdid the likes of Naz Reid, Mike Conley, and Jrue Holiday while narrowly trailing the Utah Jazz’s John Collins. He has the potential to blossom into a much more reliable option if he can regularly match the 15.3 shots per game he took in the games he suited up without Thompson in his third season. The sample size is small, but Kuminga has all the tools to climb draft boards rapidly.
