Warriors’ Steve Kerr makes clear his demand for Andrew Wiggins following Klay Thompson’s departure

The Golden State Warriors are constantly on the move. After Klay Thompson left for the Dallas Mavericks, the team did everything they could to fill the void. Failed attempts to trade for Lauri Markkanen and Paul George showed that they trust their young players such as Brandin Pod Ziemia, Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga. However, it is unclear whether these players will be able to develop in time to help Steph Curry, who just signed a one-year contract extension, win a fifth championship. Despite this, Steve Kerr challenged Andrew Wiggins and other actors to appear without Thompson.

“I want Wigs to shoot six, seven three-pointers. I want Brandin, I want Moses, I want De’Anthony. I want to be a high-volume shooting team,” Kerr said in Kendra Andrews’ report for ESPN. “The big change is that Klay is not here. We were fourth in the league in three-pointers last year, but Klay probably made eight to 10 of them, so we’ll have to fill that gap. “It’s going to come from a lot of people.”

The Warriors keep going

Moreover, as the team moved away from the Splash Brothers era, Kerr also expressed a desire to reshuffle the starting lineup, especially after acquiring new personnel.

During the offseason, the Warriors acquired Kyle Anderson in a sign-and-trade, while also boosting their shooting output even further by acquiring Buddy Hield in another sign-and-trade. What’s more, the Warriors also signed De’Anthony Melton in a mid-major deal, hoping to replace some of Thompson’s two-way ability.

“The starting lineup will have to depend not only on the first five games but also on the second one,” Kerr added. “We have a lot of work to do to determine the lineups. All the guys can do is compete and give it their all.

Despite the challenge from Steve Kerr, Andrew Wiggins may not fully replace Klay Thompson’s production as the Canadian only boasts a respectable shooting percentage of 35.4% from three for his career.

Still, if he increases his volume and percentage, he could become another offensive threat in the Warriors’ jump shooting plans. Wiggins, who is shooting about 38% from three-point range, will help keep the offense healthy as teams prefer to focus on Stephen Curry and let others go.

Without Klay Thompson, Steve Kerr and the Warriors will have to lean even more heavily on the small-ball strategy that won them the 2022 NBA Championship, and that starts with the elite two-way play of Andrew Wiggins and other players.

Perspectives

Slowly, however, the NBA is returning to the elite game of big men, as many players are now recruiting elite centers and power forwards, such as Denver and Oklahoma City. The Timberwolves traded Karl-Anthony Towns, so Rudy Gobert now has full control over the colors. Likewise, the Lakers’ Anthony Davis has been a headache for the Warriors in the 2023 playoffs.

Can elite jump shooting and perimeter defense still help the undersized Warriors return to the promised land?