Warriors’ No. 2 options behind Steph emerge in season-opening win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
PORTLAND, Ore. – Of the many impressions the Warriors made in their 139-104 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, two were particularly encouraging, certainly for coach Steve Kerr and perhaps even more so for franchise headliner Stephen Curry.
The first was Andrew Wiggins, Curry’s new defensive partner, efficiently scoring 20 points, adding four rebounds and two assists. Wiggins was active and committed and his determination was clearly visible. He acted like he was on a mission.
The second was Buddy Hield coming off the bench to score a team-high 22 points in less than 15 minutes, including 5-for-7 shooting from distance. It’s early, but not too early, to believe that Hield might yield more buckets than anyone coming off Golden State’s bench in recent years.
Wiggins and Hield were so productive and efficient that Jonathan Kuminga’s forgettable night — 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field, four turnovers, three fouls in less than 20 minutes — became insignificant. He could afford to play an ugly game.
It appears that, for the first time since 2019, the Warriors have at least three viable candidates for the job that opened up when Klay Thompson left to join the Dallas Mavericks: the secondary scorer position behind Curry.
The candidates: Wiggins, Kuminga and Hield. The order can be changed in each game.
Wiggins inherited the starting shooting guard position vacated by Thompson and wasted no time in trying to make his presence felt. He missed four of his first five shots in seven minutes in the first quarter before resetting to make seven of his next 10. He was 4-for-7 from deep.
“Wiggs was great,” Kerr said. “This is actually what we expect this year, to be honest. (He has) peace of mind, is in top form, in the prime of his career. I think Wiggs is ready to have a great season.”
Thompson has averaged 8.1 three-point attempts per game since joining the NBA in 2011. Wiggins is averaging about 4.1 per game. Kerr wants two or three more. He got them against the Trail Blazers.
“He shot seven tonight,” Kerr said. “But he also attacked the rim and had some layups in transition. That’s what we like about Wiggs, his ability to score from different spots on the floor.”
Wiggins averaged 19.7 points per game during his first six seasons with Minnesota, and that number dropped to 16.6 since arriving at Golden State. That should happen in Klay’s absence. This was the first time Wiggins opened a game sharing the backcourt with Curry, but there were no major complications.
“Just flowing within the offense,” Wiggins said. “I don’t try to force anything, but at the same time I try to stay aggressive.”
Hield, a 40-percent 3-point shooter over his eight-year career, has the goods to average around 20 points per game as the team’s sixth man. The last reserve to average 20 points per game for the Warriors is Cazzie Russell with 20.5 in 1974.
“He’s an instant foul,” Kerr said. “The way he plays the floor in transition, he opens it up to other people. His energy, his joy, his juice. Buddy is a great addition to our team and everyone loves him. He just brings it every day.”
The lingering question about Hield has to do with developing chemistry with his new teammates. Wiggins has been a Warrior for four years, Hield for less than four months. When it became clear Thompson would be leaving, general manager Mike Dunleavy targeted Hield, arranging a sign-and-trade deal that brought him to the Bay.
“Without Klay we had to shoot; we had to shoot anyway,” Curry said. “And me and (Hield) have been 1-2 the last eight years, with Klay there, in shooting 3s. We know what his skills are. We know what he is capable of. So far the transition has gone smoothly.”
It matters little that the spirit and efficiency of Curry’s new scoring sidekicks came against one of the league’s worst teams. What matters is that both Wiggins and Hield have a combined 484 games with 20 or more points.
Hield is new to the offense, but he is built for it in much the same way as Thompson.
“Tonight was my night,” Hield made 8-of-12 from the field in his Golden State debut. “The next night it could be JK. Steph is always Steph. He is world class. I just want to take advantage of my opportunities, run the floor and try to keep the floor open so Steph and other guys can be special.
Golden State’s priority this offseason was finding a reliable No. 2 scorer, someone who could provide plenty of support for Curry. Those attempts were futile. They opened the season with the guys who together might be enough to fill the void.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast
