5 things that went wrong for the Golden State Warriors in the 2020-21 NBA season
The 2020-21 Golden State Warriors were not the weak team from the 2019-20 NBA campaign, but they were not the dominant force we saw between 2014 and 2019 either.
Stephen Curry won the scoring title in a season in which many critics thought the two-time NBA MVP winner had something to prove, and he was excellent for the Golden State Warriors.
The team had an up-and-down season, but they were mostly competitive behind Curry's offensive prowess and a solid defense guided by former Defensive Player of the Year award winner Draymond Green.
Steve Kerr's squad went 39-33 in the regular season, but fell to the LA Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA's Play-In tournament, which forced them to miss the NBA Playoffs.
Still, without Klay Thompson and a new core of players behind Curry and Green, the Golden State Warriors' 2020-21 NBA campaign was not a failure but an opportunity to start building a new contending team.
In this article, though, we will take a look at five things that went wrong for the Golden State Warriors in the 2020-21 NBA campaign.
Without further ado, let us start.
#5 James Wiseman's rookie season was plagued by injuries
The Golden State Warriors selected James Wiseman with the second pick of the 2020 NBA Draft. Out of Memphis (though he only played three college games due to issues with his recruitment), Wiseman looked like a player who could be dominant in the NBA.
His 7-feet frame at age 19 looked too good for the Golden State Warriors to ignore on Draft night, and Wiseman had some great moments at the start of the year.
Wiseman showed good skills and good shooting out of the gate in his NBA debut against the Brooklyn Nets, scoring 19 points. He was a starter for the team since his first NBA night, but injuries hindered Wiseman's rookie campaign.
The big man only played 39 of the 72 regular-season games for the Golden State Warriors, but still averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game with 51/31/62 shooting splits. A wrist injury kept him off the court early in the season, while a meniscus issue ended his rookie campaign in April.
#4 Though Andrew Wiggins showed up and Draymond Green was a great playmaker, the offense was not great
Andrew Wiggins did not have high expectations placed on him before the 2020-21 NBA season started, but again, even Stephen Curry was expected to struggle mightily with the Golden State Warriors in the 2020-21 campaign.
Wiggins still had a good season, averaging 18.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game with 47/38/71 shooting splits, and even had a good year on defense, leading the team with one block per game.
On the other end, Draymond Green had arguably his best season in terms of playmaking. Green, apart from being the team's best defender (and a finalist for the DPOY), averaged a career-high 8.9 assists per game and was comfortable with the ball on his hands.
Still, the Golden State Warriors' offense only ranked 20th in Offensive Rating in the 2020-21 NBA season and was the reason behind the team's struggle to find consistency.