{"id":659818,"date":"2026-03-16T14:05:46","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T14:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/659818\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T14:05:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T14:05:46","slug":"no-curry-plenty-of-tests-a-player-by-player-evaluation-of-warriors-in-limbo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/659818\/","title":{"rendered":"No Curry, plenty of tests \u2014 a player-by-player evaluation of Warriors in limbo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Want more ways to catch up on the latest in Bay Area sports? Sign up for the Section 415 email newsletter here<\/a> and subscribe to the \u201cSection 415″ podcast <\/a>wherever you listen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

They fight. They wobble and bobble. They fight some more. And mostly, in this harsh purgatorial interval without Stephen Curry, they lose.<\/p>\n

It can be pretty valiant, as it was Sunday in New York, when the Warriors were also without Draymond Green, De\u2019Anthony Melton, Kristaps Porzingis, and Moses Moody, and still took a 21-point lead and still kept the Knicks sweating until the very end.<\/p>\n

Or it can be 80% bleah, as it was early last week, when the Warriors played hard but lost on back-to-back nights to two tanking teams.<\/p>\n

There is a practical meaning to this, though, beyond the drop to 32-34 and the long slide down the play-in standings. There\u2019s a nitty-gritty reality to all these young and untested players getting so much playing time, while everyone waits for Curry\u2019s return.<\/p>\n

The point of it: Which bit players have risen \u2014 and which haven\u2019t \u2014 to this occasion in specific ways that could pay off for them and the Warriors when Curry\u2019s back and there are bigger games to play? <\/p>\n

Also, are any of these guys potential structural pieces for the era when the Warriors simply can\u2019t count on Curry (and Jimmy Butler and Draymond) as much?<\/p>\n

Let me note here that Curry definitely seems to be feeling good about a return from his frustrating bout of \u201crunner\u2019s knee.\u201d I saw him in the Chase Center locker room a few days back after a workout and he looked dead-eye serious, like he was about to play Game 1 of the NBA Finals. <\/p>\n

And it\u2019s obviously a positive sign that he\u2019s with the team to start this long road trip. I think the whole team feels it. Unless there\u2019s some new setback, Curry\u2019s coming back, maybe by the game against the Nets on March 25, when the Warriors get back home.<\/p>\n

Curry last played on Jan. 30, in a loss to the Pistons. Since then, the Warriors have gone 5-12. Obviously, they haven\u2019t had Butler for even longer, and he\u2019s not coming back this season.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Warriors\u2019 most reliable remaining veterans \u2014 Draymond, Melton, Horford, and Porzingis \u2014 have gone in and out of the lineup through this period because of old injuries or minor new ones cropping up.<\/p>\n

Which has left gaping holes in everything that the Warriors like to do and have done for years. And every remaining Warrior has gone through new tests every night.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go through some player-by-player evaluations \u2026<\/p>\n

First off: Curry remains great<\/p>\n

He turned 38 on Saturday, he hasn\u2019t played in six weeks, and he\u2019s still the sun and all of the stars in this constellation. <\/p>\n

You see it in what you don\u2019t see now \u2014 Warriors players who get wide open just because the defense is scrambling to chase Curry; the team just understanding that it can win at any time as long as No. 30 is playing.<\/p>\n

Beyond missing the 28 games and counting, there\u2019s a tiny bit of statistical slippage for Curry this season, but nothing that can\u2019t be explained by playing so many games without Butler and with very little offensive firepower alongside.<\/p>\n

For Curry\u2019s numbers, this seems fairly similar to 2022-23 \u2014 when he missed 26 games, the Warriors fell to the 6 seed but upset the 3-seeded Kings in the first round of the playoffs (with Curry scoring 50 in Game 7), then lost to the Lakers. <\/p>\n

Will anything like that happen this season? It seems a bit too late for that, and the Warriors are a bit too fragile. But if you\u2019re thinking about next season, I\u2019ll note that the Curry-Butler-Draymond trio played 452 minutes in 30 games this season and had a +6.9 net rating.<\/p>\n

I won\u2019t do a separate analysis of Butler, but he also remains good; he was +185 in 38 games this season.<\/p>\n

These guys all won\u2019t be great forever, and the Warriors definitely need to consider how they can survive without one, two, or all of them for weeks at a time next season and in the seasons beyond that. But if they can add an even partially healthy Porzingis to that for 50 or so games or can trade Porzingis for somebody good, maybe that\u2019s enough to give some hope for next season.<\/p>\n

But the Warriors obviously need other strong players. Let\u2019s start with <\/p>\n

Players proving something right now<\/p>\n

Gui Santos<\/b><\/p>\n

If the Warriors awarded a No-Curry Purgatory MVP, it\u2019d almost have to be Santos.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s elevated himself beyond his energy guy role in exactly the way the Warriors need right now \u2014 transitioning from strictly an opportunity scorer to a necessary scorer, mostly by putting his head down and at least trying to get to the rim four or five times a game. That will only increase Santos\u2019 value once Curry is back.<\/p>\n

One measure: Santos averaged 4.7 shot attempts and 6.6 points a game in January; so far this month, he\u2019s putting up 14 shots per game and averaging 15 points. <\/p>\n

His field-goal percentage has gone down, unsurprisingly, but the Warriors need this kind of offensive aggression from as many players as is possible right now.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what made last month\u2019s three-year, $15-million extension such a no-brainer for both sides. Santos is still only 23 years old and he should be a main-rotation guy for many years, with Curry out and definitely after Curry is back in.<\/p>\n

Long-term view: Santos is exactly the kind of player you\u2019d re-sign if you\u2019re planning on Steve Kerr to be the coach into the future, and exactly the kind of player Kerr would want to know he\u2019ll be coaching.<\/p>\n

De\u2019Anthony Melton<\/b><\/p>\n

If he was playing more (he\u2019s missed three of the last five games, including Sunday), Melton might be co-MVP of the purgatory days. Heck, if he\u2019s good and available the rest of the way, he might be the Warriors\u2019 secondary MVP of the season.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s pretty amazing, either way, that Melton is a team-best +195 on the season without playing very much while either Butler or Curry were healthy. Which certainly gives Mike Dunleavy and Kerr some agita: If the Warriors could\u2019ve had a healthy Butler, Curry, Draymond, and Melton all together for a long stretch, this team could\u2019ve been interesting into the spring. <\/p>\n

Long-term view: Melton\u2019s dynamic play might be moving him out of the Warriors\u2019 price range, unless they get under the luxury tax line and can offer him a big portion of the nontaxpayer midlevel exception. But also, Melton still being unable to play back-to-backs might dampen the market a little.<\/p>\n

\"ADe\u2019Anthony Melton is averaging a career-best 13.0 points per game this season. | Source: Amber Pietz\/The Standard<\/p>\n

Moses Moody<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s obviously not at the magnitude of the Curry void, but you can really sense Moody\u2019s absence over the last six games since he hurt his right wrist. The Warriors just don\u2019t have another versatile wing available right now and it shows.<\/p>\n

2 days ago<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

5 days ago<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Friday, Mar. 6<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

His numbers probably will never jump off the page, but when healthy, Moody gives the Warriors a baseline of shooting (career-best 40.2% from 3-point so far this season) and physical defense.<\/p>\n

Long-term view: Moody is signed for two more seasons, at $12.5 million and $13.4 million, and it all fits with the present and the near future.<\/p>\n

Al Horford<\/b><\/p>\n

He\u2019s turned it up over the past few months and is a quality option to close games when Draymond doesn\u2019t have the right matchup at center. Also, if Kerr wants to sic both of them on a play-in or playoff opponent in an April matchup, that sure would be something to watch.<\/p>\n

Long-term view: Horford, 39, has been valuable, but how much longer does he want to play here, especially if the Warriors aren\u2019t title contenders? Also, the Warriors already probably have too many key players who are due to miss 25 or more games a season.<\/p>\n

LJ Cryer<\/b><\/p>\n

Two-way players who just got into their ninth career NBA game don\u2019t normally make a list like this. But Cryer is +31 in a very short period, hitting shots, and not looking overmatched (except a time or two when he got stuck defending somebody on the post).<\/p>\n

Long-term view: Going into next season, the Warriors might note that Cryer theoretically could provide the wild-card scoring that they hoped Seth Curry would give them here and there this season.<\/p>\n

In flux <\/p>\n

Draymond Green<\/b><\/p>\n

The offense is rough to watch these days, especially without being able to work with Curry; but Draymond, in an adjusted role, is still quite valuable. Give Draymond and Kerr credit for figuring this out on the fly \u2014 the last few weeks have been a showcase for Draymond matching up and more than holding his own against Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.<\/p>\n

You need that kind of player in the biggest games. He doesn\u2019t need to play 35 minutes every game, and some games it might be more like 24 to 26. But Draymond as the Warriors\u2019 version of Ben Wallace or Alex Caruso? That can work.<\/p>\n

Long-term view: OK, yes, Draymond\u2019s expendable if he can be put into a trade for a superstar. But that wasn\u2019t possible last month and it might not be workable into the future. <\/p>\n

\"ADraymond Green is averaging 27.1 minutes per game, his lowest mark since the 2013-2014 season. | Source: Eric Christian Smith\/Associated Press<\/p>\n

Brandin Podziemski<\/b><\/p>\n

He\u2019s taken on a lot more offensive responsibility with Curry and Butler absent, and I\u2019ll absolutely give Podziemski credit for it. No hesitation there. He wants this responsibility.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s been a bumpy road, as Curry noted during his NBC in-game interview on Sunday while also praising Podziemski\u2019s upward trajectory as player. Or, as Podziemski showed himself later in the game, when he made several huge buckets to keep the game close then clanked a rushed 3-pointer with a lot of time left that essentially ended things.<\/p>\n

I think Podziemski\u2019s essentially proving that he\u2019s got a nice NBA career ahead of him, but not as a lead guard (that 75.6% free-throw percentage so far this season is an anchor), and maybe not as a starter on a good team. Moody is a better option at 2-guard alongside Curry on most nights. So is Melton.<\/p>\n

And even on a second unit, Podziemski\u2019s probably best with another main initiator alongside, either Butler or Melton; notably, Melton and Podziemski have a +14.6 net rating in 406 minutes together this season.<\/p>\n

Long-term view: This should be another interesting rookie-extension negotiation this offseason. I don\u2019t know if Podziemski\u2019s worth much more than the three-year, $39-million deal that Moody got in October 2024, but I\u2019m positive that he will want more. I also am relatively sure that the Warriors won\u2019t want to pay Podziemski anything near the $123 million they paid Jordan Poole in October 2022.<\/p>\n

So is everybody OK with no deal next cycle, some tensions growing, and this going to restricted free agency in July 2027? (Yes, that always goes well!)<\/p>\n

Kristaps Porzingis<\/b><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want to litigate this forever, but yes, it was worth trading Jonathan Kuminga \u2014 who wasn\u2019t going to play for the Warriors anymore, I think he made that pretty clear \u2014 for the chance that Porzingis can get healthy again quickly and do some things for the Warriors.<\/p>\n

Kuminga might be great in Atlanta. So far: Same sort of starts and stops that he went through a dozen times with the Warriors.<\/p>\n

Porzingis, who looked pretty bouncy on Friday in the loss to Minnesota, is still worth the shot. Even if it doesn\u2019t work out perfectly.<\/p>\n

Long-term view: If the Warriors can\u2019t or don\u2019t want to retain Horford next offseason, I think they\u2019ll want to keep Porzingis \u2014 unless he\u2019s a big part of a blockbuster sign-and-trade package (which I don\u2019t see happening). <\/p>\n

Of course, the Warriors need to see Porzingis play semi-regularly through the rest of this season to picture him as their starting center next season. And even then, I don\u2019t know what kind of contract makes sense here. Certainly not a long-term contract at his current $30 million a year. Maybe two years, $42 million?<\/p>\n

\"AKristaps Porzingis has appeared in four games since the Warriors acquired him ahead of the trade deadline. | Source: Ezra Shaw\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Gary Payton II<\/b><\/p>\n

A bit surprisingly (to me), he\u2019s been necessary and solid in the games without Curry, when GP2\u2019s value had before now seemed entirely tied to playing with Curry. <\/p>\n

He\u2019s been good. The Warriors just need a veteran who defends multiple positions, runs the floor, and knows where he\u2019s supposed to be on offense (and can tell the young guys where they\u2019re supposed to be). <\/p>\n

Long-term view: But also, GP2 is a team-worst -105 so far this season. There\u2019s probably a running clock on how long it\u2019s wise for the Warriors to keep saving a roster spot for someone else whom opponents don\u2019t defend.<\/p>\n

Pat Spencer<\/b><\/p>\n

Long-term view: A lot of teams have third-string point guards who can\u2019t do as many things as Spencer can. But none of them, including the Warriors, do very well when their PG3s are forced to play a ton. <\/p>\n

Some turbulence<\/b><\/p>\n

Quentin Post<\/b><\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one thing Kerr doesn\u2019t love to see from young centers, it\u2019s bobble-hands in traffic. And Post\u2019s got that going on \u2014 through Sunday night, when he was briefly open for a game-tying 3 but couldn\u2019t hold onto the pass from Santos.<\/p>\n

If I did this list a year ago, Trayce Jackson-Davis would\u2019ve been right here for exactly the same reason.<\/p>\n

Post has a leg up on TJD because he\u2019s been a reliable plus player this season (+81 so far), and because he can hit the 3. But Post\u2019s been in a shooting slump for a while. Even after going 4-for-10 from deep on Sunday, Post is shooting just 27.3% from 3 in March, after making only 28.8% in February.<\/p>\n

Long-term view: Post will be a backup center in this league for years. Will it be with the Warriors? We\u2019ll know a lot more this summer, when he\u2019ll be a restricted free agent. No, I don\u2019t expect that he\u2019ll get a big offer from another team. I don\u2019t expect the Warriors to offer him a very big deal, either.<\/p>\n

Will Richard<\/b><\/p>\n

Richard was surprisingly valuable \u2014 as a second-round pick \u2014 right off the bat, which probably was always due to reverse itself over the course of a long season.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s long and athletic. He battles on defense and for rebounds. He can get hot from 3 (though not lately). But Richard\u2019s NBA role will be limited until and unless he figures out how to get to the rim on a couple of dribbles. With Curry, he can stand in the corner and fire up four or five open 3s a game. Without Curry, it\u2019s mostly just standing around and immediately passing it because he\u2019s guarded and doesn\u2019t want to dribble.<\/p>\n

Long-term view: Richard is in no roster danger next season because wing shooters are always valuable and he\u2019s very cheap. And he has plenty of time to get better.<\/p>\n

Not enough data<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Want more ways to catch up on the latest in Bay Area sports? Sign up for the Section…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":659819,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[3140,1260,62,18767,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-659818","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-golden-state-warriors","9":"tag-nba","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-steve-kerr","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116239239555047860","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=659818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/659819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=659818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=659818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=659818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}