The NBA Trade Deadline and All-Star Weekend have come and gone, so that means we’re in the home stretch of the 2019-20 NBA season. In this serious post-All-Star Break, we’ll go over the outlook for every team in the NBA. Here, we’ll provide a short glimpse at championship odds and playoff chances for each team on DraftKings Sportsbook. Also highlighted are key injuries to note and a fantasy basketball player to watch the rest of the season.
Where do the Golden State Warriors stand at the All-Star Break?
Record: 12-43
Playoff Chances: 0%
Championship Odds: +50000
Conference Championship winner: +25000
Rookie of the year odds: Eric Paschall (+10000)
Life comes at you fast. After a historic stretch that included five straight finals appearances and three championships, the Warriors have the league’s worst record. The dramatic fall has been fueled by injuries to Stephen Curry (hand) and Klay Thompson (knee), combined with losing Kevin Durant in free agency. The Warriors have the league’s second worst possession adjusted point differential and have been foul offensively, ranking as the worst offense in the league by points scored per possession. Their rebounding has also been terrible, ranking second to last by the percentage of missed shots rebounded. Defensively, Golden State is seventh worst by points allowed per possession.
The Warriors made a significant trade prior to the deadline, moving D’Angelo Russell to Minnesota for Andrew Wiggins. The Warriors feel that they can maximize Wiggins’ abilities in their culture. Wiggins has raw talent, but has not performed up to his first overall draft status. Wiggins is a much better fit for the Warriors’ roster than Russell, as he can slot in at wing and effectively take on the Harrison Barnes role with Curry at point guard and Thompson at shooting guard. Russell’s fit was always questionable with Curry and Thompson occupying the two starting guard positions.
Prediction: Armed with a top five pick in the draft and Wiggins now at wing, a healthy Warriors squad returns to title contention next season.
Key Injuries for Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry, PG/SG (hand) — expected to return in March
Klay Thompson, SG (knee) — out indefinitely
Kevon Looney, C (hip) — out
Thompson tore his ACL in last season’s finals and is not expected to play this season. Curry broke his hand in late October and is expected to be ready to return sometime in March, although Golden State has no reason to bring him back given their league-worst record. Looney has been limited to just 15 games this season due to various injuries, and like Curry and Thompson, Golden State has no reason to rush him back.
Fantasy basketball spotlight: Andrew Wiggins
With the Warriors trading Russell, Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III prior to the trade deadline, nobody left on the Warriors’ roster has a usage rate above 21%. This opens Wiggins up for clearance for plus volume coming out of the break provided he is assertive in his play. Wiggins has two appealing matchups on DraftKings coming out of the break against the Houston Rockets and New Orleans Pelicans, who both play a fast pace and allow elevated points to opponents. The Rockets and Pelicans rank second and third, respectively, in possessions played per game, which could create extra possessions for Wiggins to score fantasy points.
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