Charles Barkley criticized Draymond Green for claiming Stephen Curry deserved the Clutch Player of the Year award over DeMar DeRozan, despite the Warriors finishing as the No. 10 seed.
Draymond Green: “DeMar’s my guy… but he couldn’t have [won Clutch Player of the Year] because Steph Curry was winning.”
Charles Barkley: “Y’all were winning?! Y’all were in the Play-In!”
Stephen Curry had a strong season, averaging 26.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists, with 189 clutch points and 23 clutch wins. DeRozan was close behind with 24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 182 clutch points, and 24 clutch wins. Despite the small difference in clutch wins, Green argues that the Bulls’ overall performance was worse than the Warriors’, which supports Curry’s claim to the award.
The Warriors were historically the best 10th seed, and Curry’s performance was crucial in preventing them from missing the postseason. This award was unlikely to go to players from top teams due to less inflated clutch stats compared to Curry and DeRozan.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a distant third, and Kyrie Irving’s chances were diminished due to Luka Doncic’s presence affecting his clutch stats.
Stephen Curry Believes the Warriors Will Return to Contention
The Warriors’ elimination in the first Play-In game against a depleted Sacramento Kings wasn’t expected. The team has regressed over the last two seasons and needs adjustments to get back on track.
Curry is optimistic that the Warriors are close to contending again, needing just a few changes.
“The sad part was just missing three wins to get out of the play-in and have yourself in a playoff series. Even a game like in Sacramento in the play-in tournament we had, you’re like ‘OK, we’re down one and can game plan to try to get back into the series.’ Early in the year, we had a lot of missteps and some absences. But you do realize we’re not that far off, even [trying] to stay at this level, at this peak for so long, there’s going to be some tweaks, we know.”
The Warriors have several options for roster changes this summer. The main question revolves around Klay Thompson, whose contract is ending after a poor season. A big payday might not be feasible, but it remains to be seen what the Warriors will offer him to stay.
Chris Paul’s contract is also expiring, and his impact has been less than expected. With an unhappy and regressing Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors have many trade options to strengthen their team for next season.
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