The 2023 Golden State Warriors LOOK SCARY

This play here pretty much sums up why the Golden State Warriors are impossible to guard. Here's Draymond with the ball. He passes it to Looney, then immediately, Poole here sets a screen for Draymond, who then pretends to dive to the rim, but then relocates to the corner. Looney then returns the ball to Draymond, and simultaneously, Poole sets another screen, but this time, it's for Curry. Now every scouting report in the NBA says to stick on Curry, so when Curry uses the Poole screen to dive towards the rim, his initial defender gets confused on what to do for a split second, and that gives Jordan Poole just the opportunity he needs to run to the wing. Now, because Curry's initial defender is a second late, Looney's able to set the perfect screen, and look, as a result, there's no defender within six feet of Poole. And uh, this just becomes a practice drill for the fourth-year guard out of Michigan. Splash splash butter, baby. Ladies and gentlemen, the 2023 Golden State Warriors look downright scary, and without further ado, let's get right into it. First off, I want to start this video off with James Wiseman. In that first preseason game against the Washington Wizards, the 2020 No. 2 overall pick showed exactly why the Warriors' front office was so high on him. I mean, he had a game high with 20 points on a total of 11 field goal attempts, he snatched nine rebounds, and he also had the highest plus minus of any player on either team. Now, I know it's just a preseason game and it doesn't count towards anything substantial, but if you read in between the lines, it says a lot. I mean, check this out. Here's Steph Curry with the ball. Wiseman comes and sets the screen for Curry, and as Curry makes his way to the basket with his quickness, his initial defender is already beaten and is out of the play. This next defender is now stuck in no man's land. I mean, if he doesn't guard Curry, it's just a practice layup for the two-time MVP, but if he does decide to guard him, then this'll happen. Sheesh, guys. This offensive option was non-existent for the Warriors when they won their 2022 championship, but now with James Wiseman healthy, there's a whole new element that the Warriors have on the offensive end of the court. Here's another example of a new element of attack the Warriors have this year. In the top quarter is Draymond with the ball. Last season, because the Warriors were so small, they had to work incredibly hard for every point on every possession, but now, if Wiseman ever gets a mismatch through all the split action that the Warriors run, they can get easy buckets by just throwing the ball into the post and letting the 7-footer take care of the rest. He's not the perfect player yet, and he still makes a ton of mistakes as was evident by him fouling out in just 18 minutes of action in game two, but it's an 82-game regular season and with veterans like Andre Iguodala there to mentor him and watch film with him on a daily basis, it's just a matter of time before these rookie mistakes are polished up. Anyways, next off, I want to talk about the Splash Brothers. Did y'all see their three-point shootout? They literally weren't missing, and that's gotta be scary for the league. I mean, first off, Klay's jumper looked absolutely pure, but more importantly, he's physically ready to put some respect back on his name, and to remind everyone why he's the other half of the Splash Brothers equation. Here's what he had to say during his trip in Japan. I got a big chip on my shoulder, man. I be disrespected in the virtual world, so, you know, I gotta show people what's up. Hey! Steph Curry, on the other hand, looks like he's missed a beat since destroying the Boston Celtics in the finals. I mean, look at his shot in this play. Here's Steph way outside the perimeter with the ball in his hands. He takes a few dribbles, then out of nowhere, he pulls up a 30-foot jumper right in the face of his defender, who, if you noticed, is also guarding him while standing outside the perimeter. This is the correct way to guard 99% of players in the league, but against the Chef? Score 25 and a half points per game with a four- Sheesh, guys. Talk about unlimited range. The Splash Brothers are officially back, and the league better be prepared for them, otherwise they're seriously gonna get roasted, especially when you factor in the fact that Kid Splash has also improved. I mean, did y'all see this play? Here's Poole outside on the perimeter. First off, look how much space his defender is giving him. And next off, even with all that cushion of space, when Poole drove down the lane, his defender still couldn't keep up with him, and with that step-back, he created all the separation he needed to turn that play into a practice drill. Now, Poole did miss the shot, but 9 times out of 10, that's gonna go in. I mean, that's practically a free throw, and we all know who led the league in free throw percentages last season. And dang, guys, that step-back, or actually, some of y'all might say that ain't a step-back and it's just a quick stop. But whatever you want to call it, Poole didn't have that in his bag last season, so I wonder what other moves he added to his repertoire. Anyways, one more person I was excited to watch play was Patrick Baldwin Jr. And y'all all probably know, this kid, before college, was slated to be a top 10 pick in the draft, but unfortunately, injuries derailed his college career, and that's why he didn't end up being a lottery pick. I did say unfortunately, but maybe I should've said fortunately, because the guy is a complete steal for Golden State, and if the late David Stern was still the commissioner today, I'm sure he would've vetoed this draft. Because look, in that second game against the Wizards, not only did his jump shot look like butter, but his efficiency showed just how deadly he's gonna be when he enters the Warriors rotation. I mean, the dude shot 4-for-5 from 3-point range, and uh, he literally started the 16-point fourth-quarter comeback for the Warriors. Here's what Steve Kerr said of the 28th pick. Uh, he was terrific, um, you know, just a really good basketball player. You know, like, he understands the game. You can see with his flow, his movements, his shooting, his passing. Next off, I want to touch on Kaminga a bit, who, once he gets polished up a little bit more, is gonna make the Warriors' second unit just absolutely frightening. Much like Wiseman, whenever Kaminga has a mismatch, he has the ability to use his raw physical strength to overwhelm defenders. Just check out this play here. Here's Kaminga on the elbow, being defended by a smaller guard. He takes two dribbles, puts his body into the defender, and from there, it's just a wide-open layup. Also, like Wiseman, there's a lot for him to fix, but with the Warriors' developmental team, by the time the 82-game regular season is finished, he's gonna literally barbecue opposing teams' second units like it ain't no thang. Man, the Warriors are gonna have a championship level starting five, then coming off the bench, they're gonna have three lottery talents led by Jordan Poole. How unfair is that? And this is exactly why I can't understand this ESPN prediction, where they see the Warriors finishing as the 8th seed in the Western Conference. That's as close to basketball blasphemy as it could possibly get, right? I mean, they're the defending champions, and they've improved their roster. If you're a fan of the Clippers, then sure, you might have the Warriors seeded second, third, or maybe, if you're a true hater, then fourth in the West, but eighth? Sheesh, guys. That's some pretty crazy stuff, if you ask me. Can you imagine winning a championship, then reading in the papers that analysts think you'll come in eighth? Maybe that's what Draymond was referring to when he said, There are chips. And there's no shortage of chips, I can tell you that. Anyways, the first 10 games of the season will pretty much silence all the critics and put the NBA on notice. The Warriors will be playing the Lakers on opening night, followed by a fully healthy Nuggets team, they'll play the Phoenix Suns, then soon after, they'll play the Heat twice, then they'll be playing one of the dark horses in the Western Conference, Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans. Once they run through these first 10 games, though, then, uh, I gotta make a video about whoever created the eighth seeded prediction.