3 reasons the Golden State Warriors are back to their 'Hamptons five' best
Back in 2016, the term "Hamptons five" was coined by Tim Kawakami, who covers the Golden State Warriors for The Athletic. It was basically a death line-up that consisted of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Kevin Durant.
In the off-season, after the Golden State Warriors won the 2015-16 season NBA Championship, they were out recruiting.
Kevin Durant was in the Hamptons, a group of towns on Long Island. The four players mentioned above made the trip to the Hamptons in a bid to convince free-agent Durant to join forces. In line with the successful pitch, the nickname "Hamptons Five" stuck with the line-up that closed out many games for the Golden State Warriors.
Now, fast-forward a few years, we’re witnessing the Golden State Warriors lead the Western Conference standings after a few tough seasons. With a 15-2 win-loss record, the Warriors are turning back the clock.
Here are three reasons why they look like they are back to their "Hamptons Five" best.
#1 Stephen Curry is having a breakout season
After the first 17 games of the 2021-22 season, Stephen Curry is averaging 28.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.6 assists. He has put in some big performances, including a season-high 50 points and 10 assists in a win against the Atlanta Hawks.
Most games with nine 3-pointers in NBA history:
Stephen Curry - 38
Stephen Curry since April - 10
James Harden & Damian Lillard - 9 https://t.co/jtxgKUrWzz
Even for the Hamptons Five, Stephen Curry contributed high-scoring numbers, shooting efficiently from deep. It is crucial for the Golden State Warriors that Curry continues this form, as he will now have to fill in for the shooting that once came from forward Kevin Durant.
#2 Andre Iguodala is back at the Warriors, Klay Thompson set to return
At the start of the season, they were question marks on whether the Golden State Warriors should have picked Andre Iguodala or maybe gone for someone more versatile. But with the Warriors' current form, making the playoffs is not something they're worried about. Their focus is on performing well in the playoffs.
When it comes to the playoffs, we have seen how much of a difference having veteran experience makes. The Golden State Warriors have just that in Andre Iguodala, who is a tried and tested piece in their system.
"He's capable of doing all the strenuous stuff on the court. The body is ready for that."
@anthonyVslater gives an update on Klay Thompson and when he is expected to return to the Warriors lineup. https://t.co/JkRWonBkoH
Klay Thompson is expected to make a return around mid-December, after missing two full NBA seasons. That gives him a good number of regular-season games to figure out his new roster before being put into the demanding post-season.
With that, four of the Hampton Five are retained on the Golden State Warriors roster.
#3 The Warriors roster is coming together
It's not completely fair to hand the entire credit of the Golden State Warriors' early run of wins to just Stephen Curry. The rest of the team definitely have a role to play and have contributed significantly.
Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole have contributed 19.1 and 18.4 points per game respectively. The Golden State Warriors also have depth on their roster and experienced players like Damion Lee, Otto Porter, Nemanja Bjelica and Gary Payton II could be valuable down the stretch.
The Raptors held Steph Curry to 12 points, but forgot about these two as they fall to Golden State. 💦 https://t.co/Bvkwqt6dy5
If you're a Warriors fan, this is turning out to be an exciting season. Back to their "Hamptons Five" best, the Golden State Warriors are poised to make a deep run after missing the playoffs for two consecutive seasons.