Why Do Players BECOME STARS When Acquired By The Warriors

Mr. Karl-Anthony Towns, welcome to your Kodak Moment. Dang, let's check that out one more time. Personally, I think Wiggins put a little more sauce on this statement dunk, because back then, everybody just treated him as a second fiddle. No, wait, let me correct that. A third fiddle behind Kat and Zach Levine back in Minnesota. But when he got traded to the Warriors, this dude just became unhinged and turned into a two-way beast. With this in mind, I began to wonder, why do under-the-radar types of players like Wiggins, Gary Payton II, to even Jordan Poole and Kaminga, suddenly become stars or somehow unleash their true potential when they get acquired by the Warriors? Well, I believe there are many answers to this question, but the first thing that comes to my mind is the Warriors' style of playing basketball. Here, let me show you what I mean. Draymond is the designated quarterback in this play. Notice how he clears out the weak side to give way for the two-man game between JP3 and Wiggs. And in the next sequence, Wiggins lulls his defender to sleep for just a split second, which allowed Draymond to find him for an easy finish. Actually, it could have gone Poole's way if his defender went underneath the screen. But the thing that I actually wanted to point out is that the Warriors run a constant ball and man movement offensive philosophy that creates equal scoring opportunities for everybody involved. And this is just one of the reasons why the players that I just mentioned earlier are playing far better now compared to the days where they weren't with the Warriors. Oh, and it also doesn't hurt to have a two-time MVP. Well, to gauge if these players really improved after being acquired by the Warriors, let's take a look at the case of Andrew Wiggins. As you can see here, Wiggs logged in more minutes per game when he was playing for the T-Wolves, but what's mind-boggling here is how much better he's been shooting ever since he was acquired by the Dubs. The stats don't lie here, guys. Wiggins became a much more efficient player after he was acquired by the Warriors. And this doesn't even include the things he does on defense, such as guarding the opponent's best players on a nightly basis. Nevertheless, with the kind of numbers that Wiggins is putting up this year, he has a strong case to be an all-star, and his coach was the number one guy who backed him up and vouched for him. Here's what Steve Kerr said specifically. You know, anytime there's players that are close together in the balloting, the voting, I think being on winning teams should count for something, and obviously, we've had a great start to the season, so I think Wiggs deserves to be an all-star. Anyway guys, moving on here. The next reason why I think these players are just straight out balling for the Dubs has something to do with their championship culture. There's no doubt that you'll lay it all out every given night if you know that your team has a chance to win it all. Speaking of guys who give it their all on a nightly basis, GP2 is a living testament to this case. As you know, this guy went undrafted and bounced around from one G League team to the other, but when he was given a chance with the Warriors, he suddenly turned into a defensive demon that delivers aerial assaults unlike no other. Check these out. The numbers don't lie for GP2 as you can see here. His efficiency skyrocketed once he was acquired by Golden State. And just like the case of Wiggs, GP2's contributions also reflect way, way, way beyond the stat sheet. I mean, in the PER stat category alone, he's number 2 on the Warriors, right behind Steph Curry. In an interview with Bleacher's Report, GP2 talked about how he contributes to Warriors basketball. Golden State understands what I bring to the table, my defensive skills, my off-ball cutting, screening, being able to play the dunker and just take open shots when they present themselves. There are a lot of guys, like Draymond, that can do a lot of different things and help win games. Not every player is going to score 30, and I obviously don't shoot like Steph Curry, but I do damn near everything else elite. It just took one organization to understand that and realize that. From cultivating a championship culture, another reason why players suddenly become stars with the Warriors is because all of a sudden, they're surrounded by greatness. If you got Draymond, Steph, and Klay around you all the time, it's a lot easier to develop more of your untapped potential. To have a better grasp on this, let's take the development of Jonathan Kaminga as an example. JK had a field day against the Bulls some few days back, and without any warning, the Rook just pulled this one out of thin air. The man-child is just in his late teens, and as I've said over and over again, JK definitely has the potential to blossom into a legit superstar, as long as Dray and the Splash Brothers are there to guide him all the way through. After sitting out the first 5 games of the season, and averaging meager minutes in the first 19 games, we're now seeing the fruits of JK's labor, because ever since his 26-point performance against the Raptors in December, JK is now averaging double figures in scoring, and in addition, he's doing it efficiently. And in the case of Jordan Poole, we're also seeing the same type of trajectory, cause when you take a look at his numbers, you can see the improvement in his stats year after year playing for the Dubs, and this season, a lot of people are already considering him as a finalist in the 6th man of the year race. The Warriors know how to nurture and develop talent when they see one, and this just goes to show what magic can be done if the coaching staff in the front office work hand in hand in terms of making the right decisions and achieving a common goal. Warriors GM Bob Myers has always had a keen eye for finding a diamond in the rough, and was never afraid of rolling the dice to get players he thinks will create a huge splash for the organization. I mean, this is the guy who drafted two of the most lethal shooters on the planet, got Draymond in the second round, and was instrumental in the recruiting of Kevin Durant, which led to back to back titles. And then, after two years of repatching and retooling the roster from the ground up, he was able to land players who were overlooked by the NBA like GB2, Andrew Wiggins, and at the same time, tap the hidden potential of their younger players, just like what we're seeing with JP3 and JK right now. Speaking of JK, Bob Myers talked about his thought process when they were about to draft a 19 year old, and here's what he had to say. You have to focus on guys that can become stars at the top. And you might get it right, you might get it wrong. But if you get it right, then all of a sudden, three, four, five years down the road, you have an all-star or an all-NBA guy. That is so hard to find that you have to try. So that's the hardest thing we do. It's not necessarily watching their physical abilities, it's seeing what they'll become mentally. That's, I think, the biggest challenge. But if you watched him behind the scenes, I think he's going to be a really good player. Anyway, onto a slightly different topic here. Klay Thompson is a homegrown warrior superstar. But have you all ever wondered what his top five games are? Well, I wondered that as well, so I came up with this video right here. It's pretty unfair that the Warriors, who are the best team in the league, just got this guy back on their roster. Anyway, guys, it's an insane video. So just go ahead, click it. And like always, I'll see you on the other side.