Since the arrival of D’Angelo Russell in San Francisco, outside of trade chatter, one question followed the Golden State Warriors’ new guard everywhere he went.
How would Russell fit with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson? There were hurdles to jump before that question could be answered. Thompson dealing with a knee injury paused any chance of the two playing together, but before the 2019-20 season started, Curry and Russell were slated to be Golden State’s starting guard tandem.
Finding how Russell would play off the ball next to Curry became the focus at the start of the Warriors’ new season. Yet, again injuries disrupted things for Golden State’s new backcourt.
Curry has missed all but four games for Golden State with a broken hand injury, nixing any chance the point guard duo had at building any type of on-court chemistry.
However, as the season grew, and Curry progressed through his rehab, there was hope the two would get an opportunity to play together. Reports indicated Curry could potentially return in March, giving him and Russell around 20 games together before the season ended.
Could Russell’s game be elevated by playing next to another All-Star like Curry? How would Curry play next to another guard of Russell’s skillset? Appealing questions that were set to be answered in March.
Yet, a trade sent Russell, Jacob Evans III and Omari Spellman from Golden State to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Andrew Wiggins and draft pick compensation. Golden State’s move before the trade deadline officially canceled the Russell and Curry backcourt experiment before it began.
Outside of knocking off the rust, Curry playing alongside Russell was a key factor in his return. How the two would play together would help evaluators find what features the team needed to put around Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green to find a way back to contention.
On the surface, it looks like Wiggins can click into the Warriors rotation, where there were serious questions about Russell’s fit. With that off the table, Golden State could now be even more patient with Curry’s injury.
Instead of an All-Star cast, the Warriors roster is now filled with young or developmental players outside of Green, Wiggins and Kevon Looney.
With next year’s hope of returning to the top of the Western Conference hinging on the health of Curry, the Warriors could continue to be cautious with his return. Whether that’s a dose of load management or postponing his recovery to a later date.
The Warriors record sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference and their leading scorer now playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, all arrows point to the offseason for Golden State. How the team handles the return from injury of their two-time Most Valuable Player now becomes the most intriguing mark in an otherwise down season.