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The Golden State Warriors are 6-0 in the preseason after dispatching the Los Angeles Lakers 111-97 on Tuesday. Moses Moody paced the team with 21 points, while Stephen Curry had 16 points. Meanwhile, Draymond Green put up a double-double with ten points and ten rebounds. However, while watching the game, Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young noticed Buddy Hield's seamless fit as the sixth-man for the Warriors.
“Buddy fits perfectly with the warriors!” the Hawks guard posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The Warriors are cruising
While it's still preseason, the Warriors seem to be in a good place. They lost Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks and whiffed on Lauri Markkanen, but Stephen Curry did sign a one-year extension.
They also filled the gaps by leaning even harder on their jump-shooting.
This renewed focus on shooting and playmaking netted the Warriors Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson. Moreover, they also signed De'Anthony Melton to spell Curry and provide some defense on the backcourt.
Moreover, in terms of shooting, Hield is a capable replacement for Thompson, and he may even be a better shooter at this stage of their careers. Thompson hasn't defended at a high level since his Achilles and ACL injuries, and the Warriors didn't sign Hield for his defense to begin with.
Hield is also a reliable decoy while Stephen Curry navigates through screens to look for an open spot behind the line. The defense will have to pick between Hield and Curry shooting, and most teams will let Hield shoot rather than the greatest three-point shooter of all time.
As a sixth man, Hield can also take on a heavier shooting load when Curry sits. However, without Curry, any competent NBA-level defense will load up on him, meaning his teammates like Andrew Wiggins must also shoot more to distribute the workload evenly.
This reliance on shooting will also require the Warriors to speed their game up, and they hope Melton, Anderson, and Draymond Green should provide enough defense to get them consistent stops to spark fast-breaks.
Likewise, they'll have to rely on their center rotation of Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kevon Looney to gobble up defensive rebounds and start the offense.
Possible problems
The only problem with this approach might surface in the playoffs, or even before then. For instance, the Warriors might have to win shootouts with other teams, since they might not have enough two-way guys to wreak havoc on defense.
As constructed, the Warriors remain a dangerous team who can shoot the lights out and run other teams off the floor.
However, when the game slows down in the postseason and the shooting drops off, the lack of a difference-making player like a Markkanen or a Paul George might rear its ugly head.
Trae Young might be right about Buddy Hield's fit with the Warriors, but is it enough to put them over contenders like the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, or Oklahoma City Thunder?
