The Golden State Warriors have run through the NBA with machine-like precision to open the 2015-16 season, going a perfect 10 for 10 out of the gates. It's the franchise's first undefeated record through double-digit games, and it's quite possibly the best opening-of-the-season stretch we've ever seen in league history. With that being said, here's our list of 10 Things We Know About The Warriors After 10 Games.
1. Stephen Curry Is On An Entirely Different Wavelength
Last season, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook led the NBA with four 20-point quarters. Through ten games, Curry has already matched Westbrook's 2014-15 total. If he was somehow to sustain this pace, he'd have a mind-blowing 33. Talk about the ultimate heat check.
2. Let Us Repeat...
Curry is converting on a ridiculous 47% of his three-pointers so far in 2015-16. To put that into perspective, there are 52 NBA players currently making less than 47% of their LAYUPS right now, per ESPN Stats & Info. That includes teammates Draymond Green, Festus Ezeli, Harrison Barnes, Marreese Speights and Brandon Rush.
3. Kerr's System Is In Pristine Shape
Credit goes to interim head coach Luke Walton for running things at 100% capacity while Steve Kerr recuperates from back surgery, but credit also goes to Kerr from fostering an environment where one of his assistants is capable enough to step up in an emergency and keep the ball rolling.
4. There's No Prettier, Or More Efficient, Offense
The Warriors lead the NBA in points per game (114.8) and assists per game (29.3). Those numbers directly correllate to one another. Golden State rarely settles for ISO looks, making the extra pass or two 90-95% of the time to find optimum shots.
5. Draymond Green's Game Is Evolving
Green has morphed into the perfect new-school NBA power forward. The Warriors are running the offense through him like a hulking point guard, as he leads the team in assists with 6.6 per game. That's 2.9 more per game than he averaged last year, to go along with career-best paces in overall shooting (44.7%) and three-point shooting (44.4%).
6. A Top-Level Rotation At Center
Festus Ezeli has emerged as a legit NBA start at the five, posting a comparable PER of 20.0 to that of Andrew Bogut (20.4). That ranks the duo at #3 and #4 respectively on the team, behind only Stephen Curry and little-used guard Ian Clark. Bogut has only been able to play in four of the team's games so far, so it's a heck of a luxury for Golden State to have Ezeli playing so well.
7. Thompson's Slow Start Is Just That...
...a slow start. Just like we can't anoint Stephen Curry's 2015-16 season as the greatest in NBA history through ten games, we can't write Thompson off for an inconsistent stretch from the field to open the season. Klay's been up and down, but we can point to Klay's season-high 24-point outburst against the Pistons this past Monday as proof that he's still got the elite game-breaking ability welling up and readying to be put to use.
8. The Defense Makes The Offense Much More Potent
It's not only that the team's offense is operating at a pace/efficiency unheard of in recent years. It's the fact that the team's defense remains elite enough to make the team's offensive fireworks pop that much louded. Golden State is giving up just 97.7 points per game -- good for 7th best in the NBA.
9. This Is The Best 10-Game Start Ever
So says the statheads at FiveThirtyEight. Using their advanced ELO metric, the website lists the Warriors 2015-16 season start as more impressive than that of the 1997 Chicago Bulls, 1987 Boston Celtics, and 2002 Los Angeles Lakers (to name a few).
10. There's No Sign Of Stopping
Yesterday's 129-116 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves was a perfect example of how easy this team papers over any temporary weakness. Yesterday, they gave up 62 in the first half to a Wolves offense clicking on all cylinders. Trouble is, Golden State scored 75 that half and held Minnesota in relative check with 54 points in the final 24.
The more we watch this team, the more that 72-10 or better seems like a distinct possibility.
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