Player grades: Warriors vs. Blazers

Assessing every Golden State player from the team’s 139-104 win over Portland.

At long last, the 2024-25 NBA season has arrived. And the Golden State Warriors have welcomed the season back in style, crushing the Portland Trail Blazers 139-104 on Wednesday night in a game that, save for the first quarter, was never competitive.

Which means it’s time to bring back the segment that perhaps angers the Golden State of Mind community more than all others, combined. Player grades! For most games, you can check back here to find grades for every player on the Warriors. But here’s the mandatory caveat that I’ll repeat every time: grades are based on my expectation for each player individually. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that that player. In other words, if Steph Curry gets a “B” and Gui Santos gets an “A,” it doesn’t mean that Santos played better. It just means that he played better relative to my expectations.

Anyway, let’s get into it!

Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Last year the league-average TS was 58.0%.

Draymond Green

20 minutes, 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers, 3 fouls, 3-for-3 shooting, 1-for-1 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, 103.1% TS, +12

Green looked like he’ll have a good season, but there was a fair amount of rust in the first game. His three turnovers in just 20 minutes came largely from plays where he read something well, but tried to squeeze the ball into a lane that wasn’t there, and simply forced the issue a little. Those games happen, as Brock Purdy can attest to.

But the court vision was there, the blend of quarterbacking and attacking was there, and the strong defense was there. However, it could have been a much worse night for him, as some refs might have given him a second technical foul in the second quarter, resulting in an ejection.

Grade: B-

Jonathan Kuminga

20 minutes, 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 4 turnovers, 3 fouls, 3-for-9 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 4-for-6 free throws, 43.0% TS, 0 +/-

You could see the vision and you could see the concerns. Steve Kerr opted for a large starting lineup, putting Kuminga at the three … despite spending so much time insisting that JK was four. And you could see why Kerr has felt that way … Kuminga didn’t make a three, and wasn’t really spreading the floor. He was erratic and out of control on many possessions, and didn’t have a very good game defensively while guarding perimeter-oriented players.

But the offense still seemed to function well with him on the court, and he helped the team push in transition time after time again. His athleticism was on display in earning six free throws, and truthfully it could’ve been more.

It wasn’t a good game for Kuminga, but it’s still clear why Kerr (and I) think that starting JK gives the Warriors the best chance to win.

Grade: C-
Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.

Trayce Jackson-Davis

25 minutes, 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 foul, 5-for-5 shooting, 4-for-5 free throws, 97.2% TS, +6

It’s hard to believe that this was just the first game of TJD’s second season. He plays with so much poise. Even against a proven veteran center in Deandre Ayton, Jackson-Davis simply never played out of control. He got beat a few times, but even so, he only committed one foul in 25 minutes of action. He never forced up a shot — and as a result, he never missed a shot, either.

He’s officially the team’s starting center, and if this game is any indication, he will be for a long, long time.

Grade: A-

Andrew Wiggins

23 minutes, 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 8-for-15 shooting, 4-for-7 threes, 66.7% TS, +9

It’s going to take more than one game before we can proclaim that the Wiggins of 2023-24 is no more. But my goodness was this a massive step in that direction.

There was so much in this game that was missing from Wiggins’ arsenal last year. He looked fresh, athletic, and focused. His jumper was gorgeous, and he drained his threes. He got out in transition and played good defense. As he puts last season further behind him and grows more comfortable, I expect him to get a little more aggressive, which should result in more free throws and rebounds, but nothing bad to say about Wiggins in this contest. He jump-started the offense in the second quarter, and from there they took off.

Grade: A

Steph Curry

25 minutes, 17 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 4-for-10 shooting, 3-for-7 threes, 6-for-6 free throws, 67.2% TS, +23

Curry got off to a slow start, missing all three of his triples in the first quarter. And after that, he was dynamic.

Had the game been even remotely close, Curry would have played more and easily notched a triple-double. As is, he’ll have to settle for “just” 17, nine, and 10.

I thought he played a really strong game on defense, with his two steals and no fouls accurately depicting how active but disciplined he was on that end of the court. And with so many players making their Warriors debuts — or just trying to find rhythm as a new season begins — he was so happy to use his gravity to get all his teammates going.

Big things ahead.

Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds and assists.

Kevon Looney

14 minutes, 2 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 fouls, 0-for-2 shooting, 2-for-2 free throws, 34.7% TS, +13

Looney’s always been a max-effort guy, but in this bench role it sure feels like he can really dial it up. And that’s only amplified by how good of shape he appears to be in to start this season.

He was just a menace in the paint. You can’t tell me that a single Blazers big man enjoyed sharing the court with Looney on Wednesday.

Grade: B+

Lindy Waters III

5 minutes, 8 points, 1 rebound, 2 fouls, 3-for-3 shooting, 2-for-2 threes, 133.3% TS, +8

Waters is one of two players on the team’s 14-man roster who begins the season out of the rotation, so he just got in for a little garbage time action. But what he did in that garbage time action was a reminder that he’s not just back-of-the-roster filler. If the Dubs weren’t so outrageously deep, he’d be in the rotation, and as injuries occur, he’ll fill in. It sure looks like he’ll fill in admirably.

Grade: A

Gui Santos

5 minutes, 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 foul, 1-for-1 shooting, 1-for-2 free throws, 79.8% TS, +8

Santos is the other player who opens the year outside of the rotation, and that’s not surprising. But my goodness he has potential, and he’s so fluid for his size.

Grade: B+

Kyle Anderson

15 minutes, 2 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 1-for-2 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 50.0% TS, +4

The Warriors sure seem to have an absolutely massive number of players on the roster who don’t need to score to positively impact the game. There will probably be a time where they don’t score 139 points and we find that trait a little frustrating, but for now it’s pretty damn awesome.

Don’t let Anderson’s modest plus/minus fool you. He was put on the court to stabilize the type of bench units that have ruined the Warriors in past seasons. Helping those units tread water is a massive skill.

Grade: B+

Buddy Hield

15 minutes, 22 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 8-for-12 shooting, 5-for-7 threes, 1-for-1 free throws, 88.4% TS, +20

There are two ways to sum up Hield’s Warriors debut. The first is that it took all of one quarter to realize that Hield is Otto Porter Jr., not Kelly Oubre Jr.

What I mean by that is that the Dubs have brought in a lot of quality vets before, and you’re never entirely sure how it will go. The system and style is unique, and it doesn’t always work well, like with Oubre or Nick Young. But sometimes it works fairly brilliantly, like with Porter or Donte DiVincenzo.

It works with Hield. He just fits. You can tell he loves playing in the system and you can tell the players — and, critically, Kerr — love having him on the court. This is going to be fun.

The second way to sum it up is that when I looked at the box score I was genuinely shocked to see that Hield only played 15 minutes. He accomplished so much that I was sure he was out there for at least 25 minutes, but no. Surely he would have played more in a close game, but he’s a reminder that good players don’t need 36 minutes to impact games. Hield got the offense back on track in the first quarter (his three with under two minutes remaining was their first made jump shot), and he triggered big runs in the second and third quarters.

Just a brilliant debut from a player who could be a serious difference-maker this year.

Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.

Gary Payton II

14 minutes, 8 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3-for-4 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 82.0% TS, +26

When I thought that Kerr would trim the rotation to 10 players, I assumed Payton would be one of the odd men out. How happy I am to know that we’ll instead get to see him play every game.

He wasted no time in turning this game around. He came in in the first quarter and had a pair of layups thanks to his non-stop movement, and made life hell for Portland’s guards. It really is staggering how disruptive his perimeter defense is … it feels like he picks someone’s pocket every other possession.

The Warriors have a lot of switchable, lengthy defensive wizards on this team, and they can put out some mesmerizingly-good defensive lineups. Payton figures to be in a whole bunch of them.

Grade: A

De’Anthony Melton

19 minutes, 10 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 4-for-11 shooting, 2-for-8 threes, 0-for-2 free throws, 42.1% TS, +2

It wasn’t the prettiest debut for Melton, but, like Anderson, it’s clear how much he can anchor the second units that used to completely tank the Warriors. He’s such a great pairing with Curry when they share the court together, thanks to his shooting and defense, but he’s also the perfect guard to throw into the second unit and ensure that the ball will be taken care of, the offense will flow, and no opposing point guard will have a fun time.

Grade: B-

Moses Moody

15 minutes, 15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 fouls, 5-for-11 shooting, 3-for-8 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 63.1% TS, +10

Things got off to a rough start for Moody. There were 11 Warriors who played in the first quarter, but Moody wasn’t one of them. Since we didn’t know that Kerr had decided to go with a 12-man rotation, it seemed like Moody might be opening the season on the pine. But he was out there to start the second quarter … only to head back to the bench a few minutes later, after picking up three quick fouls.

But after that? The same brilliance that defined his preseason. He was far more aggressive on offense than we’ve seen in past years, a control disruptor on defense, and seemed to be all over the court, from keeping rebounds alive to diving on the court for loose balls.

That new contract sure didn’t impact his effort level, I’ll say that much.

Grade: B+

Brandin Podziemski

25 minutes, 0 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 3 fouls, 0-for-5 shooting, 0-for-4 threes, 0.0% TS, +34

Remember what I said earlier, about the Warriors having players who are happy to impact the game without scoring? I sure didn’t think that was what the Dubs were getting when they drafted Podziemski last year, but he quickly proved it was.

Podz has so much offensive potential, and I fully expect him to be a player who averages 15-20 points per game when all is said and done. But he has so many other was he impacts the game — pretty much every other way that you can impact a game. And he’s more than happy to let those skills carry him on any given day.

How often do you see a player play heavy minutes without scoring, and still have the best plus/minus in the game? But that’s just the kind of day he had. His seven rebounds don’t do justice to how he attacked the glass, and the lone steal doesn’t tell the story of his disruptive he was … or the two charges that he drew.

He’s just a really good, really well-rounded player, far sooner than any of us could have predicted. But obviously this game had things to work on. He didn’t set his feet for many of his jumpers, and his eagerness to play-make led to a few bad passes. But my goodness he can hoop.

Grade: A-
Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.

Wednesday’s inactives: Reece Beekman, Quinten Post, Pat Spencer