Golden State Warriors: Early success will pay dividends in the future

The value of getting off on the right foot can not be overstated for the Golden State Warriors. This season can still go a number of ways but their early success is going to make things easier in the future.

The Golden State Warriors’ early success is going to prove valuable as they are already paving the way for the latter half of the season.

Momentum is on their side as they enter the second month of the season. While the Dubs will have to take care of a few things to ensure they keep this momentum, a snowball effect due to their early success should lead to some future payoffs.

Confidence boost

A league-best 11-2 start to the season is enough to lift anyone’s spirits. For the Warriors, consecutive years of paying well below their championship aspirations have made this recent surge of success so much sweeter.

The Warriors won a whole 15 games in the 2019-20 NBA season. They could realistically pass this mark in the first month and a half of their current campaign.

While stars like Stephen Curry and Draymond Green did not need a confidence boost, it is certainly reassuring to find out they are indeed still two of the best players in the game. The same goes for vets like Kevon Looney and Andre Iguodala, who have been pivotal members of championship runs in the past.

As for the rest of the team, they have never seen this much success. Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, Damion Lee, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Gary Payton II are brand new to winning games at this rate. For them, this early success has to be working wonders in the morale department. And, it should carry over into playing better basketball as the year goes on.

Rookie development

Another benefit of winning games early on is the chance this delivers for the Warriors to develop their youth. The two rookies, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, will have two luxuries due to their team’s success.

Blowouts = More minutes for the rookies

Firstly, the rookies will actually get a chance to play. Moody and Kuminga have been mostly reserved to the bench but each game the Dubs win by double digits grants another opportunity for them to get some action.

Neither of them has been overly impressive just yet. Both are shooting poorly from the 3-point line and have some adjusting before truly being rotational players in the NBA. Yet, Moody has shown promise as a high-IQ role player in the near future while Kuminga’s athleticism has made him a force in limited transition touches.

Team success = Less pressure

More importantly, the Warriors’ early success means less pressure for the rookies to develop. They are not being thrust into the fire like Jordan Poole and James Wiseman. Instead, the Dubs can take their time with this and allow them to grow at a natural pace.

The two rookies will undoubtedly spend more time on the bench than on the court this season and that is a good thing. So long as they fully commit to working in the shadows, Moody and Kuminga can emerge as huge x-factors when the time is right.

Ease Klay Thompson and James Wiseman back

Last but obviously not least, the importance of giving James Wiseman and Klay Thompson a cushion to take their time is the biggest benefit of this early run.

I do not think the Dubs would risk tossing anyone back into the lineup prematurely as they already learned that harsh lesson in the 2019 NBA Finals with Kevin Durant. Nevertheless, having the best record in the NBA takes an immense weight off Thompson and Wiseman. Not only to finish their rehab but to carry a lesser load when they return.

The Warriors can afford to have Thompson and Wiseman sit for as long as they need. When they return, Golden State can probably afford to have them play limited minutes in restricted roles until they are at full strength.

Thompson’s return is going to give a jolt of electricity to this team in the future. Getting it right is the key to possibly winning another championship. Meanwhile, anything that Wiseman can contribute will only further push them into contention.