Assessing every Golden State player’s performance in the team’s 102-101 win over Sacramento.
Warriors vs. Kings 2023
Okay, okay, okay. That was certainly fascinating! Despite playing their worst game of the early season, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Sacramento Kings 102-101 with the help of some late-game antics from Klay Thompson.
It was anything but beautiful. However, every club in the league has a lot of bad games, and the Warriors’ bad games from the previous season were nearly all defeats. A victory may still be unpleasant. Even with a victory, the Dubs are now 4-1. And I’m still thrilled with 4-
But there’s definitely some red ink to utilize. Let’s assign grades to the players based on our expectations for each one. As usual, I assign a “B” grade, which stands for each player’s average play.
Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Last year, league-average TS was 58.1%.
Draymond Green
28 minutes, 13 points, 2 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 4-for-7 shooting, 2-for-4 threes, 3-for-4 free throws, 74.2% TS, -5
I said it after his first game, I said it after his second game, and I’ll say it after his third game: Green’s energy and conditioning are both impressive, and telling. He’s full of life and bounce after missing all of training camp, which is both a testament to how hard he’s worked, and a sign as to how much he believes in this team’s potential.
He set the tone in this game with two early threes — not really the person you usually expect to set the tone from beyond the arc — then switched into a playmaker and defensive menace role.
It wasn’t all pretty, but for the most part it was a sensational performance for someone who you would expect to still be rinsing off a few layers of rust.
Grade: A-
Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists.
Kevon Looney
23 minutes, 6 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 2 fouls, 3-for-4 shooting, 75.0% TS, 0 plus/minus
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Offensively, this looked like the Looney who had something of a breakout season last year. The timing and angles of both his screens and rolls were fantastic, and rather than just catching the ball in the paint and trying to score, he repeatedly made the extra pass for an even easier look.
He made life difficult for Domantas Sabonis, even if Sabonis still got his in this contest. And he was in the closing lineup down the stretch, though he was subbed out in the final minutes for Gary Payton II, as the Dubs went small.
Grade: B
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.
Andrew Wiggins
25 minutes, 14 points, 2 rebounds, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 6-for-10 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 64.3% TS, -5
Right out of the gates, Wiggins was the best version that we’ve seen from him this year. He was aggressive but measured on offense, and putting a lot of energy forward on both ends of the court. He somewhat disappeared as the game went on, but it was still his best game of the year, I thought. And definitely his best offensive game.
Steph Curry
32 minutes, 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 7 turnovers, 3 fouls, 7-for-15 shooting, 4-for-10 threes, 3-for-3 free throws, 64.3% TS, -6
Only Curry can have a rough game (by his standards) and make it seem like he’s struggling to score the ball, only for you to get to the end of the game and see that he had 21 points on remarkable efficiency. He’s that good.
It still was an off game for Curry, which is how the Warriors ended up needing last-second heroics to escape with a home with against a Kings team that was down their best player. But with De’Aaron Fox sidelined, Mike Brown slid defensive-ace Davion Mitchell into the starting lineup, and he played the type of game that will have Curry already looking towards November 28 for a little revenge.
Mitchell forced Curry into some serious sloppiness, as it felt like Curry was turning the ball over left and right, and especially at critical moments. Wardell still had some big shots when they mattered most, but this definitely wasn’t his best outing.
Grade: C
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points, worst plus/minus on the team.
Moses Moody
15 minutes, 1 point, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 foul, 0-for-3 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, 12.9% TS, -5
Moody’s play this year has been a revelation, but this was easily his worst game of the year. His shot wasn’t falling, and he fell into some of his old habits of offensive passivity.
On defense though? A completely different story. He continues to hunt out plays on that end of the court, and had one of the biggest highlights of the season with an incredible blocked shot.
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