There's no doubt that Stephen Curry shouldered the biggest burden as the Golden State Warriors won the 2021-22 NBA championship. However, no lone star, no matter how radiant he is, cannot bring the team to the championship without some great performances from the players around them.
The actors he works with certainly have their moments. Clay Thompson has had at least 25 points in five games in the playoffs. While Drummond Green struggled throughout the NBA Finals, he did win with a complete physical confrontation in his second game against the Boston Celtics and played well in game six, locking in their fourth championship ring.
But for these people, their performance is an expectation, not an accident. That's why Drummond Green's struggle attracted so much attention in the first place.
But what about everyone else? The Warriors got some series-changing performances from their Big Three players. Here's a ranking of the Warriors' role players who deserve the biggest thanks from Stephen Curry:
The Warriors' 5 most critical role players are ranked in the NBA championship race
Otto Potter Jr
Since Kevin Durant left, the Golden State Warriors have struggled to find a key front-in — someone who can hit three-pointers and sometimes act as a four-man in the small ball.
In the 2019-20 season, they tried eric Paschar and Glenn Robinson III for much of the season, but neither ended up filling the figure and diversity of the role. The following year, they tried Kelly Upbre Jr., who had all the physical tools to fill the role, but he was far from a reliable shooter to pull out space and harness Stephen Curry's gravity.
Otto Potter Jr. fits the role well. He's 6'9", can easily get into the No. 4 position and is a shooter at 40% of his career. Best of all, he's able to fit seamlessly into the Warriors' offensive system, rather than having to create his own shooting opportunities like Pascal did, or forcing incoherent attempts like Oubre Jr.
While Porter didn't really break through in the playoffs, scoring no more than 13 points, he always looked like he belonged when he was on the court. This in itself is an important trait of role players in a competitive team. His speculations about Wilt Chamberlain's genes don't hurt either.
Gary Payton II
Speaking of genes, Gary Payton II did make his father proud on his way to the Warriors' victory. The GPII showed his elite athleticism at the back and was a key component of the Warriors' versatility.
Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole, two small guards, are primarily responsible for attacking, and Payton needs to inject some energy from the back when needed.
Truth be told, his biggest impact may have been as a symbolic figure in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Memphis Grizzlies. After experiencing Dylan Brooks' horrific injury, the Warriors were more motivated to avenge their teammates, which also turned into a hate-filled series.
But he still had an impact on the court, especially in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, where he scored 15 points and locked up Jason Tatum on the defensive end.
Jordan Poole
When Gary Payton II's defense proved influential, Jordan Poole's offense was priceless to the Warriors. Despite the pressure of the first playoffs, Poole actually became more efficient as the stakes increased, shooting from 44.8 percent to 50.8 percent and three-point shooting from 36.4 percent to 39.1 percent. While he did that, his free throw line shooting percentage was still as high as 91.5 percent.
In the few minutes of Stephen Curry's bench appearance, Poole's value was most evident. Gosh, Steve Cole let Curry sit for a long time. He averaged just 34.5 minutes per game in the regular season, a figure that has barely changed, with just 34.7 minutes playing in 22 playoff games. Jason Tatum averaged 41 minutes per game on contract and may be more tired than Stephen Curry.
Curry and Cole would like to thank Jordan Poole for giving them such extravagant treatment. In the absence of superstars on the floor, Poole's energetic offensive ability provides strong support for the Warriors' second team. There was never a squad where opponents didn't worry about leading defenders on the floor wearing blue and gold. This keeps Stephen Curry alive
Kevin Rooney
You might say Jordan Poole is the Warriors' second-most important role player in the playoffs. But the reality is that Stephen Curry took on a bigger burden on the offensive end and they still won the championship. You probably can't say the same thing to Kevin Rooney.
With James Wiseman not yet on the court, Rooney has done so much dirty work for the Warriors that he has put even the dirtiest garbage workers to shame. Big Diving Bird has a number of series of performances running throughout the title.
In game six, he had 22 rebounds and eventually beat the Memphis Grizzlies, who decided to join Steven Adams in the rotation. He also had a 21-12 and 10-18 record in the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, who were sorely under-lineupd. Despite only finishing 9th in playing time, his total rebounds still lead the series.
"I'm tired." Kevin Rooney played 104 games. Still, he feels he can "play some more."
Of course, he also proved his important role in the Boston first team, which has the ageless Al Horford and the behemoth Robert Williams. No one can say that Kevin Rooney didn't win the ring this season.
Andrew Wiggins
There is a saying that Andrew Wiggins does not count as a role player. After all, he's the starter of the All-Star Game. But given the way he's been used throughout the playoffs, he's clearly being used as a role player. The difference is that he just did it at the All-Star level.
Andrew Wiggins was placed as the main defender against Luka Doncic and Jason Tatum. Doncic dominated the Western Conference semifinals, completely out of the control of defensive player candidate Mikael Bridges, averaging 32.6 points per game and shooting 47.6 percent from the field. Against Wiggins, his shooting percentage dropped sharply to an under-average 41.5 percent.
The drop was even worse for Jason Tatum, who nearly turned into a pumpkin against Wiggs, shooting just a pitiful 36.7 percent from the entire series. In addition to the data, what was even more shocking about the vision test was how much anandro Wiggins had an advantage in that race.
Andrew Wiggins didn't have many chances to attack and didn't attack like Poole, Curry and Clay. But he had a master lesson on how to keep playing the spotlight without being in the spotlight. He will attack his opponent ferociously after receiving a pass that kicks out the ball. When he pounces on a bigger guard, he breaks the rebound.
He was everything the Warriors needed, and even more. Stephen Curry needed to send a gift basket and a heartfelt letter to his teammate Andrew Wiggins, his Canadian-made Swiss Army knife.