3 areas the Warriors could focus on if some of regular season resumes

If the Warriors play some regular season games, they should possibly work to create chemistry with Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins among other things.

The Golden State Warriors had already been eliminated from playoff contention before the season was suspended, so even if the NBA did play some of the regular season, they wouldn’t be in a postseason race.

If the league decides to play a 70-game regular season to fulfill deals with local TV networks, the Warriors would have five games left on their schedule.

If each team picks up where it left off, Golden State would play the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons.

Four of those teams are currently playoff squads, with the Pistons the only one in a rebuilding situation. Though the Warriors would face tough competition, they could use the potential regular season reboot as a way to see how their players could jell next season.

Andrew Wiggins gaining chemistry with Steph Curry

Since a regular season return would likely be brief, the Warriors may opt to rest veterans such as Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. According to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, the Warriors would view the regular season as a “replacement summer league.”

With that, young players like Jordan Poole and Eric Paschall would play more. For the Warriors, developing their youth as much as possible is important. They’re going to need their young players to play at a high level next season with the veteran core of Curry, Green and Klay Thompson.

But considering Curry only played one game after returning from a broken left hand injury, the Warriors might decide to not risk his future health. Lottery teams possibly playing some regular season games comes with pros and cons.

The good aspect would be to gain chemistry and create some sort of momentum heading into next season. The bad aspect would be the risk of injury to players, and then next season the franchise is at a loss.

At some point, though, Wiggins will have to gain chemistry with Curry, the engine of the Warriors’ offense.

As a slasher, Wiggins will have more space to drive through the lane and finish at the rim because of Curry’s shooting. In 12 games with the Warriors, Wiggins averaged 19.4 points per game on 45.7% shooting. On March 5, the one game he played with Curry, he scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Marquese Chriss continuing to grow as the Warriors’ rim runner

A four-year player, Marquese Chriss has bounced around during his career, playing for four teams so far.

But the fit with the Warriors has been his best.

The Warriors have used Chriss as their primary rim runner and option in the high pick-and-roll. With his athleticism, Chriss has benefited from ample space to catch lobs and sneak in behind the defense for easy buckets.

Before this season was suspended, Chriss was averaging a career-high 9.3 points per game and shooting a career-high 54.5% from the field.

Chriss hasn’t been able to flourish on previous teams because he hasn’t fit into the respective systems.

When he was on the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers, he was part of a franchises that weren’t in a position to win; those squads also boasted some of the most mediocre offenses in the league. The Rockets emphasize shooting primarily 3-pointers, layups or dunks, but Chriss only played 16 games there and averaged 6.5 minutes a game.

With the Warriors, Chriss has a clear role of being the team’s main lob option. If the season resumes, Chriss continuing to refine his skills will be beneficial for him and the Warriors.

Jordan Poole and Eric Paschall developing off the bench

The Warriors have budding young talent in Jordan Poole and Eric Paschall, but with development comes growing pains.

Poole has the skill set of a shooting guard, but he needs to become more comfortable running the point off the bench. The Warriors need someone who can maintain the offense while Curry and Thompson are out. Poole doesn’t need to be a pure floor general; he just needs to make sure the offense still runs decently.

Before the season was paused, Poole was averaging 8.8 points per game and shooting 33.3% from the field. He was dishing 2.4 assists per game. Known for his shooting ability in college, Poole’s jumper will need to improve next season. Playing a few more games to officially put a bow on this season could help with that.

Paschall, a forward who’s similar to Green, also needs to improve his jumper. He’s shown he can put the ball on the floor and score, but there will be times where he’ll simply need to knock down catch-and-shoot jumpers.

This season, Paschall scored 14.0 points per game on 49.7% shooting from the field and 28.7% from the 3-point line. Along with his scoring, Paschall showed his playmaking potential, averaging 2.1 assists a game.

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