After an inconsistent start, the Warriors won their eighth consecutive game on Monday evening, pounding the short-handed Pacers 120-83 for their easiest win of the young season. The win also clinched a sweep of the Warriors’ first four-game road trip, which included impressive wins over the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics, two teams presumed to finish near the top of the Eastern Conference by year’s end.
The Dubs deserve some recognition for dispatching of four potential Eastern Conference playoff teams with relative ease. Now that it’s time to head back home, let’s hand out some awards to the standout performers of the trip.
MVP – Kevin Durant
You could also make a strong case for Klay Thompson, who scored 25+ points in three of the four games, or Draymond Green, who was a menace on the defensive end and added 25 assists, but it’s hard to argue that Durant wasn’t the Warriors’ most important all-around player during this four-game stretch.
Durant is known for being a scorer, and rightly so, but his complete skill set was on display during the road trip. Durant finished with averages of 25 points, 9 boards and most impressively, 6 assists per game. Durant also finished with two double-doubles and, along with Draymond Green, was a consistent presence at the rim, helping cast doubt on the idea that Golden State needs to add another center to solve it’s problems on the defensive end.
There are nights where the Warriors won’t need Durant to put up big scoring numbers, and when that’s the case, his ability to help in other area’s will be crucial. Monday’s victory over Indiana was a prime example of that, with Durant only scoring 14 points on nine shots, but also finishing with 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals in 27 minutes.
If Durant is able to give those kind of complete efforts consistently, this Warrior team may be even more dangerous than we originally thought.
Most improved – Zaza Pachulia
Pachulia had a rough start to the season, and a rough start to this road trip, opening the Toronto game by missing three layups. But Zaza’s performances in the following three games saw him looking the most comfortable he has in a Warrior uniform up to this point. Specifically, his exceptional passing (the reason Golden State targeted him in the first place) was on display, especially against Milwaukee, when he put on a show with four first quarter assists.
It’s clear that Pachulia is not going to play heavy minutes for Golden State this season, who will go with small lineups more often than not, especially in big games. Pachulia’s ability to fulfill Andrew Boguts underrated role on the offensive end as a high post distributor will be the determining factor in his playing time. What he showed during this road trip should give both him, and the Warriors confidence that he has what it takes to fill that role.
Best unproven big off the bench – JaVale McGee
Still looking for someone to fill the role of backup center who can run the floor, Steve Kerr experimented by alternating McGee, Kevon Looney and James Michael McAdoo as the first subs off the bench each game of the road trip. Of the three, McGee was easily the most effective, due in large part to awful performances by his teammates. McAdoo looked completely lost during his eight minute run against Boston, going -8. Looney was a step slow playing in front of friends and family in Milwaukee, missing three shots around the rim, and going a whopping -16 in just four minutes of action.
McGee may have sealed his spot in the rotation, at least for now, with his performance against Indiana, scoring seven points and blocking two shots in fourteen minutes. One can certainly debate whether or not McGee is the most talented of the three players, but it’s hard to argue he’s not the one who fits Golden State’s style the best. McGee is most similar to last year’s reserve center Festus Ezeli, who was effective as a rim runner and protector in Golden State’s system, taking advantage of all the space in the middle of the court while playing alongside the Warriors’ perimeter players.
If McGee can continue to do those two things effectively, he will get consistent minutes.
Unsung hero – Draymond Green
Sharing the floor with three of the most explosive scorers in the league, Draymond Green’s contributions are even more likely to be overshadowed this season. Green was fantastic during this road trip, however, and has been throughout the eight game winning streak, making it his mission to single-handedly solve Golden State’s early issues regarding lack of ball movement and rim protection.
Green did both of those things exceptionally during the trip, averaging over six assists per game while blocking seven shots. Green also had the most important play, knocking away an inbounds pass with 10.1 seconds remaining to seal the victory for Golden State over Milwaukee.
It’s a bit silly to call an All-Star starter and unsung hero, but on this team, it’s hard for him not to be.
Best impression of Kevin Durant’s shimmy – Zaza Pachulia
You might argue this is a horrible rendition, but when you’re the only one who attempts it, you win the award. Congrats on winning two Zaza.