Player grades: Warriors vs. Jazz (2023)

The Golden State Warriors lost to the Utah Jazz 124-123 on Wednesday night, blowing a lead in the final seconds and using general horrific sloppiness to throw away a game that they had in the bag.

Minus the final 20 seconds, it was a fairly encouraging game for the Warriors, who were playing without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins.

But I don’t care. They lost in a stupid way. They lost in a stupid way the same day that the San Francisco Giants lost the fight for Aaron Judge after a national reporter falsely reported that Judge was signing with the Giants. On the same week that Barry Bonds was denied a spot in the Hall of Fame, the Warriors got crushed by the Indiana Pacers B-team, and Jimmy G broke his foot. And I got covid.

I’m grumpy. I’m cranky. And this game sucked.

Angry teacher mode activated. Out comes a red sharpie. A big one. Grades are weighted for my expectations of each player, with a “B” representing the average grade.

Bah humbug.

Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a measure of scoring efficiency that weights for three-point shooting and free throws. League average entering Wednesday’s games was 57.4%.

JaMychal Green

17 minutes, 7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 fouls, 3-for-7 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 50.0% TS, -4

Green came out of the gates firing, scoring all 7 of his points early in the first quarter, and adding a lot of energy. He was pretty flat in the second half though, as Utah came out of the third-quarter gates firing and Green didn’t do much at all to stop it.

Grade: C+

Kevon Looney

29 minutes, 7 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 3-for-5 shooting, 1-for-1 free throws, 64.3% TS, +10

I really enjoy watching Looney play in the games where the Warriors rest other starters, because it’s a reminder of how effective he can still be. Sure, his value is highest to the Warriors, where he has amazing chemistry and an acute understanding of where to be with the big three, but the dude can simply play basketball, and play basketball well.

Today he scaled it up to 29 minutes, and helped slow the Warriors down when they were getting too wild.

Grade: A-

Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds.

Klay Thompson

36 minutes, 22 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 8-for-25 shooting, 4-for-11 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 44.5% TS, -7

3 blocks for Klay!

And other than that it was a really rough game. His jump shot simply wasn’t falling, and at some point it devolved into poor shot selection. He was more careless with the basketball than the turnover numbers would suggest, and had a brutal and unnecessary turnover in the waning seconds.

His defense wasn’t good.

Klay has been starting to find his rhythm, but this was a bad game for him.

Grade: C-

Ty Jerome

24 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 fouls, 2-for-6 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 33.3% TS, -8

If you are Ty Jerome’s friends or family I don’t recommend searching his name on Twitter tonight and seeing what Warriors fans were saying.

That’s all I have to say on the matter. I told you I was cranky.

Grade: C

Jordan Poole

37 minutes, 36 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 6 turnovers, 1 foul, 10-for-23 shooting, 4-for-13 threes, 12-for-13 free throws, 62.7% TS, +4

It’s very hard to grade Poole’s performance. He kept the Dubs in this one for large stretches of the game, and it’s safe to say they would have been blown out if he didn’t play. He scored with efficiency, brought energy and flair, and set up his teammates.

He also turned the ball over half a dozen times, including a dismal one with a few seconds on the clock, when he could have turtled on the ball and waited for a foul, but instead held it out, had it stolen, and watched the Jazz score a game-winning bucket. He also missed a free throw late in the game that would have helped ice the game.

In other words, it ended with a supremely sour taste, but it was otherwise a pretty special performance.

Grade: A-

Post-game bonus: Led the team in points and assists.

Jonathan Kuminga

30 minutes, 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 10-for-13 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 3-for-5 free throws, 79.0% TS, +8

We’re seeing Kuminga come into his own before our very eyes and it’s been special. This was a masterful performance from JK. He played beautifully within the flow of the offense, using his athleticism as a weapon rather than as a fallback.

He beat Jazz defenders on mismatches, with off-ball cuts, in transition, and while rebounding. When he didn’t have a good shot, he made the right pass. He rebounded ferociously — as is so often the case, he contributed to far more rebounds than the final tally suggests.

He had a few lapses on defense, but he was right there with Poole for the primary reason that the Warriors had a chance to win this game.

Watch out, league.

Grade: A+

Anthony Lamb

16 minutes, 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 3-for-7 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 0-for-2 free throws, 44.4% TS, -9

After his blazing start to the year, Lamb’s jumper has started to cool off quickly. He started the year shooting 12-for-22 from beyond the arc, but has since shot just 7-for-28.

His game is still a little scattered ... he does a lot of awesome things but plays a little too fast for himself on both ends of the court. A quality role player, it’s just never quite clear what the Dubs will get from him.

Grade: C

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

James Wiseman

5 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1-for-2 shooting, 1-for-2 free throws, 52.1% TS, -3

Wiseman made his return to the Dubs, playing in his first game since November 14, and just his second game since November 4. Steve Kerr said before the game that he wasn’t sure whether Wiseman would return to Santa Cruz when the Dubs got healthy but, based on the minutes he gave the young center, I’d guess we have our answer. Expect some more G League seasoning for Wiseman.

He didn’t really play enough in this game to get a read on if he made any improvements, but I liked the energy he showed on both ends of the court, and the eagerness to set screens.

Grade: B

Donte DiVincenzo

28 minutes, 7 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 3-for-6 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 58.3% TS, -7

I joked on Twitter about how DiVincenzo deserved an A+ for holding back Kuminga after his altercation with Jordan Clarkson.

But instead he might deserve an A+ for his Draymond Green impression.

DDV did a little bit of everything in this game, on both ends of the court. He’s clearly starting to find familiarity and comfort within the system, and as he does, his athleticism is on display more and more.

Grade: A

Moses Moody

19 minutes, 6 points, 1 steal, 2 fouls, 2-for-4 shooting, 2-for-3 threes, 75.0% TS, +11

I was hoping Moody would get more playing time in a bench game, but no. And not grabbing a rebound or an assist in 19 minutes probably won’t help him get more going forward. Maybe the Dubs send him to the G League for a while if Kerr won’t play him?

Either way, he played decently. He made a big clutch three and had solid defense. His impact continues to be quiet, which is sometimes good and sometimes not.

Grade: B

Post-game bonus: Led the team in plus/minus.

Wednesday’s DNPs: Patrick Baldwin Jr., Ryan Rollins

Wednesday’s inactives: Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Andrew Wiggins