Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
James Wiseman saw space — plenty of feet of it, very much CDC-approved. He feigned a pass to the perimeter on a fastbreak and instead spun the ball forward, dribbling his way to the rim and free air.
The thought was solid, and the athleticism better from a 7-foot-1 specimen. But the fact he is 19 years old and had played just three games at the college level, with no training camp and just a few recent Warriors practices under his belt, was obvious.
He lacked control, which took him right into a player who has mastered being a 7-foot freak, who’s always able to turn and stop and start with composure and with no warning. Kevin Durant, in his much-awaited Nets debut and his first NBA game since that Finals Achilles tear, calmly took the charge in the second quarter of Tuesday’s season opener.
Wiseman (7-of-12 for 19 points and six rebounds) was moving well and finished the game with a flourish. Stephen Curry was healthy. And there are many more games to come. But that is about the extent of positives to emerge out of the 125-99 blowout at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the Nets looking like a super team that the Warriors helped spawn.
Durant stepped into his first 3 less than two minutes into the game, had 10 points within five minutes and looked, well, like Kevin Durant. Curry had a very quiet 20 points while Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andrew Wiggins combined for a wrong-kind-of-loud 19 points.
Here are some takeaways from a game that the Warriors hope to forget — the biggest deficit was 38 — but threatens to be an indicator of what this early season might look like.
GulpAll love between Steph and KD in Brooklyn
— KNBR (@KNBR) December 22, 2020
Steve Kerr has said the Warriors would have to play excellent defense and beat opponents in transition to have a solid season.
The Nets, led by Kyrie Irving, shot 46 percent from the field and 43 percent from 3, drumming up chance after chance that a star-laden team will not miss. More worryingly, Brooklyn outscored Golden State 28-12 in transition, both out-executing in the half court and out-running in the full court.
The Warriors did not have Draymond Green, who might be back by Christmas. But on Christmas, Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Bucks powerhouse will be on the other side.
It might get worse before it gets better for a team that doesn’t have Klay Thompson and is so desperately lacking both cohesion and a No. 2. Speaking of which…
Steph vs. rest
If Curry feels disrespected, many not believing in the one-star Warriors, this would be his chance to prove he can lift mediocre teams into the upper echelon. No version of Curry could make Tuesday’s Warriors a winner, but this version of Curry wasn’t close.
He looked to dish often, the Nets doubling on so many double-teams and forcing the ball out of his hands, leading to 10 assists. But when he forced his way to his shots, he looked like a player who had played five games last season.
Curry finished 7-of-21 for 20 points, going 2-for-10 from deep and disappearing behind the swarms of larger Nets who didn’t have Thompson to key on.
Curry will have time to find his stroke, but off nights for him will mean losses for the Warriors.
Gulp, gulp
The alleged replacement for Thompson was set to be Oubre. Perhaps his role could be eased if Wiggins took another step and lived up to promise — promise the Warriors saw in him, even if it’s not quite No. 1-overall pick promise.
Well, 0-for-2 so far.
The pair was dreadful. They combined to go 7-for-30 after going 3-of-19 in the first half.
The two are enormous to the team’s success on both ends of the floor, Oubre trying to shut down Irving early, while Wiggins was tasked with Durant. Perhaps their energy being directed on defense could somewhat excuse the offense, but their defense was lacking as well.
Durant got whatever shot he wanted. Irving had to actually create space to get his, but that’s what he did at will. Speaking of which…
Great Netspectations
Yep, the Nets are a super team. Often players bouncing back from injuries like Durant’s take some time to return to the players they were before, but Durant has gotten an extra long break because of the pandemic’s effect on the league. He scored 22 points on 16 shots in 25 minutes, a plus-26 who was unstoppable throughout.
If there is any concern to the Nets’ rise, it’s the fact Irving seemed intent on getting his shots. The mercurial point guard finished with 26 points (on 16 shots) and four assists, looking like a star but one who wanted his billing. Will he and Durant coexist well for years? For this year?
It’s a minor problem for later. The Warriors have a major problem for now.