4 Reasons The Golden State Warriors Are Off To Hot Start This Season….see more

The Golden State Warriors head into Friday’s road date against the Cleveland Cavaliers riding high.

Steve Kerr’s squad has won seven of their first eight games, including taking out the defending champion Celtics in Boston on Wednesday.

For Golden State, that win over Boston was absolutely huge. Remember, the Warriors were blown out in their only trip to TD Garden last season by the score of 140-88.

It was the clearest indication that last year’s iteration of the Warriors were in no way championship-caliber.

Eight matchups into an 82-game slate does not come close to telling us a story.

But this somewhat revamped Warriors squad does indeed look like a contender.

Golden State ranks third in the NBA in points per game (121.1), second in points allowed (105.2) and first in point differential.

It is also first in the Association in offensive rating and second in defensive ranking.

With long-time Warriors star Klay Thompson now on the Dallas Mavericks, they have relied on newcomers to contribute.

That includes fellow guard Buddy Hield starting out swimmingly in San Francisco.

Kyle Anderson has also contributed in a big way.

Here, I look at four reasons why these Warriors have jumped out of the gate hot and why they can continue it moving forward.

Buddy Hield’s Emergence With The Golden State Warriors

Hield, 31, was acquired as part of a broader six-team trade that sent the aforementioned Thompson to Dallas.

He was pretty much a direct replacement for Thompson.

While the former top-six pick out of Oklahoma has played a decent level since entering the NBA back in 2016, what we’ve seen thus far has been nothing short of extraordinary.

Hield is averaging 21.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists on an eye-opening 51 percent shooting from three-point range.

Sure, Hield entered this season having joined Stephen Curry as the only two players in the NBA with 1,000-plus three-pointers this decade.

But he was seen more as a one dimensional player. That has not be the case early during the 2024-25 campaign.

“For most players in the league, fit is everything and this is a great fit in our system.

He’s perfect for what we needed,” Kerr said ahead of the Celtics’ game, via NBC Sports Bay Area.

“He’s bringing joy to the gym every single day.

Everyone loves Buddy.”

Hield has been a breath of fresh air for a Warriors team that saw drama envelop it over the past few seasons.

He’s also bringing electricity on the court.

Again, it’s not all about the three-point game.

Heck, a real argument can be made that he’s a dramatic upgrade from last season’s iteration of Thompson.

Surprising Continuity For The Golden State Warriors

The Warriors have four new players in their expanded 13-man rotation.

In addition to Hield and Anderson, that includes De’Anthony Melton and Lindy Waters III.

All four have had their impact thus far this season.

Melton is currently sidelined to a back injury.

Though, he might be able to give it a go Friday against Cleveland.

With nearly 33 percent of their rotation filled with new players, the Warriors have not missed a beat.

They are actually playing better team basketball than at any point we’ve seen since Golden State won its last title after the 2021-22 season.

“You gotta keep a body to me and continuity just makes the offense flow and I’m a scorer that can be (an) outside threat and maybe get a couple of — sneak in a couple of lays, layups here and there.

But just being an outside threat,” Hield told reporters recently.

The Hield-Curry connection has been out in full force.

The Warriors are scoring 143.3 points per 100 possessions when the two are on the court together.

That’s the biggest in the NBA by a wide margin.

Kerr also seems to be utilizing his rotations at a better clip than we’ve seen in the recent past.

It is something he has been criticized for on a near never-ending loop over the past two seasons.

Draymond Green Back To Playing Elite All-Around Basketball

By now, you already know that Green has been involved in some major altercations throughout his career in San Francisco.

That included two lengthy suspensions last season due to separate incidents with Jusuf Nurkic and Karl-Anthony Towns.

His relationship with Kevin Durant played a major role in KD’s departure from Golden State following the 2018-19 season.

This is nothing to say about the Jordan Poole incident.

Green has looked different and like a real leader through the first eight games of the season. He attributes this to several factors.

“Got to do this.

Got to do that.

Got to go get my body ready.

Got to do this,” Green said before the season opened.

“And you forget to enjoy it.

So, then it just turns into the grind.

So, for me that was just a big reminder that you are missing the fun part of it.

So, everything you’re doing is just to prepare to get ready.

You’re missing the fun part of it.”

It has shown with Green’s play, too.

He’s a top NBA Defensive Player of the Year Candidate and is performing at a high level through an all-around lens.

Green is averaging 8.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting 44 percent from three-point range.

It has certainly been a re-emergence for this future Hall of Famer.

Botton Line For The Golden State Warriors

Again, eight games is not a great sample size.

It is less than 10 percent of the schedule.

We’ll acquire a better understanding of where the Warriors are at after their next two road games against the Cleveland Cavaliers (9-0) and Oklahoma City Thunder (7-1).

Both teams are playing as well as the Warriors, if not better.

What I do know is that this team has a much different feel than the past two seasons. It’s much closer to the 2021-22 iteration of Golden State.

The Dubs’ success moving forward is going to be reliant on several factors.
Andrew Wiggins returning to 2021-22 form.

He’s reverted in each of the past two seasons.

Thus far in 2023-24, Wiggins is averaging 15.8 points on 44 percent shooting from the field.

Health is a major factor.

Stephen Curry already missed three games earlier this season to injury.

Regardless of what happens within the rest of the rotation, Golden State will not contend with him sidelined.

It’s that simple.

Mike Dunleavy Jr. The Warriors’ general manager can’t simply engage in a blockbuster trade without considering how the current roster looks.

It makes no sense to break up this group to pull off a trade like the one Golden State was close to for Paul George during the summer.

For now, everything is great in Northern California.

Things can change.

The Western Conference is absolutely stacked.

The Golden State Warriors simply can’t take the foot off the gas, starting Friday against an undefeated Cavaliers team.