Image courtesy of Keith Allison/Flickr.
The Golden State Warriors were busy on the final night of the deadline as they acquired point guard Steve Blake from the Los Angeles Lakers in return for guards MarShon Brooks and fan favorite Kent Bazemore. It’s a good move for a Golden State team that has lacked bench scoring and shooters in general, and they didn’t have to give up much in the process.
The 33-year-old Blake is in his 13th season and has averaged 9.5 points and 7.6 assists in 27 games for the Lakers this year. He will bring stability to a second unit that has been dismal this season. The backcourt duo of Steve Blake and the recently acquired Jordan Crawford will be a huge improvement and give the Warriors the consistency that they have been lacking.
Beyond the floor-stretching backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Warriors don’t have much in the way of three-point shooting. The Splash Brothers have hit 325 of the team’s 497 makes from deep this season, a hair over 65 percent.
Harrison Barnes has improved his efficiency from deep with a 41.1 percent mark on 2.2 attempts per game, but the next highest three-point percentage for a Warriors reserve is 32 percent, from Marreese Speights of all people. Steve Blake doubles the number of deep threats for the Golden State bench
The addition of Blake will also allow Stephen Curry to play off the ball at times, as he did last season with Jarrett Jack at the point, and get more rest, as he hasn’t had much time to do so this season.
With the trade deadline drawing to a close, the question is whether or not the Warriors are done shopping. Golden State has cleared a roster spot by swapping this two-for-one deal with the Lakers and has about $4.5 million left to spend before hitting the hard cap.
GM Bob Myers has found a way to pull all of the right strings in his time with the Warriors. Does he have another move up his sleeve? Or is this Warriors roster now set and ready to meet their season’s expectations?
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