The Golden State Warriors continued their unbeaten start to the 2024-25 preseason with a 111-93 win against the Detroit Pistons with Stephen Curry sidelined due to a finger injury. Even without Curry, an early trend for the Warriors through the preseason held strong as the team shot the lights out of the three-ball to overwhelm the Pistons offensively.
Much has been made about the Warriors losing Klay Thompson this summer, who was the team's second-best shooter last season for converting 38.7% of his three-point attempts on 9.0 shots per game. Even though Klay's shooting had regressed, these were great numbers for a 35-year-old perimeter player, but not good numbers for a player who was expected to be a second star behind Curry for a winning franchise.
The Warriors have done a solid job of replacing Klay and more specifically his shooting in their new-look roster, with a variety of factors showing that the team has already successfully substituted Klay's shooting prowess on the franchise.
Buddy Hield
I don't need to say more than just the name 'Buddy Hield.' Avid NBA fans know that Hield has arguably been the best non-Splash Brother shooter of the modern era, averaging 40.0% from three over his career. He's the second-leading name on total makes in the last six years, trailing only Curry.
Hield's status as one of the game's greatest shooters cannot be questioned, but he's finally on a team where he can maximize that gift. He was the clear one-for-one Thompson replacement on the market and the Warriors snagged him up . He's lived up to all Klay comparisons so far through preseason.
Through the Warriors' four wins, Hield is averaging 12.2 points and has made a ridiculous 13 three-pointers on 22 attempts, shooting 18-30 from the field overall. In his 13-minute stint against the Pistons, Hield put up 12 points with four three-pointers, leading the team in three-point makes with Curry out.
Hield's ability to move off the ball and fit into the Warriors system has made him a phenomenal addition to the franchise. While he'll have cold stretches, he'll be more amenable to accepting the sixth-man role the Warriors tried having Klay fill last season , which led to morale problems within the franchise.
Rotational Players Being Asked To Step Up
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr struggled to pinpoint the players he could use last season while factoring in what stars such as Curry, Klay, and Draymond Green want. Curry is their best player so Kerr would always feature him while Green's defensive value couldn't be replicated by anyone else.
Forcing rotations with Klay to keep him happy was a problem for the Warriors, but the depth of the new-look roster is doing a great job of replacing him. The win over the Pistons saw the Warriors start the game 10-11 from three, a naturally unsustainable rate of accuracy which leveled out to 18-39 (46.2%), which is still an incredibly accurate night for team shooting.
Nine players contributed to the barrage with Jonathan Kuminga (12 PTS, 3-5 3P), Lindy Waters III (13 PTS, 3-4 3P), Moses Moody (14 PTS, 2-5 3P), Brandin Podziemski (12 PTS, 2-3 3P), De'Anthony Melton (5 PTS, 1-4 3P), Gary Payton II (5 PTS, 1-2 3P), and Quinten Post (3 PTS, 1-3 3PA).
The Warriors entered the game averaging 44.7 3-point attempts per game through preseason, ranking behind the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves . They're shooting at a 40% clip as a team this preseason, showing the 'splash' identity of the Warriors has spread across the lineup.
What Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. Believes
Filling their entire roster with three-point shooters in the wake of Klay's departure was a calculated move, with many loving the Warriors' replacing Klay with three rotational players - Buddy Hield, De'Anthony Melton, and Kyle Anderson . The team is playing faster and more freely in preseason, with Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. explaining how the Warriors will live by the three even without Klay on the roster .
“There’s going to be nights where [3-pointers fall], and we hope there are more nights where they do than they don’t. As I said, last time I checked, the threes count more than the twos, so the more of those we can get up, especially with the shooters we have, we want to do [that]."
"With Klay departing, the last few years were all about getting Klay and Steph [Curry] the ball, and rightfully so. But now, with Klay gone and only Steph there, we’re looking for everyone to step up. We’ve got a lot of guys who can take those shots. As long as they’re good, in rhythm, and created the right way, we want to take them."
Coach Steve Kerr has placed a lot of hope on Andrew Wiggins rediscovering his jumper , hoping the forward can look more like the Wiggins we saw in 2022 than what we've seen the last two years.
“I’ve already told him: six 3-pointers a game, He’s a really good 3-point shooter. His numbers dipped a little last year, but since he’s been here, it’s been 39, 40 percent... With Klay gone, we need him to step up and be our second scorer after Steph, and we know he’s perfectly capable of that.”
The Warriors have multiple players willing to step up and replace what Klay did for the franchise. While his impact over 13 years will be impossible to replicate, they can help improve the team for the 2024-25 season and help the franchise return to the Playoffs.
Related: Draymond Green On Winning Another Championship With the Warriors: "We Can Do That Sh*t Again..."
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