Warrior Wonder: Patrick McCaw shines

Patrick McCaw and Jordan Bell dazzled off the bench, while Draymond Green and Kevin Durant did some of everything for Golden State.

Full disclosure: I’m contractually obligated by my boss, Nate, to award Patrick McCaw a Warrior Wonder before the new year begins. I don’t want to know what the ramifications will be if I fail to do so, so here we are.

Lucky for me then, McCaw delivered an epic performance in the Golden State Warriors’ 126-101 victory over the Utah Jazz.

McCaw only played 20 minutes off the bench, but in those 20 minutes the Warriors outscored the Jazz by 18 points. The second-year wing dropped in 18 points on a highly efficient 7-10 shooting, and played some terrific defense across multiple positions.

Sometimes role players have high-scoring nights because their teammates consistently find them for easy buckets, but that wasn’t the case for McCaw. He had some spectacular moves and highlights, and was working brilliantly without the ball. It was fun to watch.

Jordan Bell keeps at it

Jordan Bell’s all-around brilliance continues to amaze. The rookie looks more and more like a seasoned vet every day, and that was on full display against Utah.

Bell returned to the bench, but was just as impactful there, where he recorded a whopping 13 rebounds and 7 assists in just 22 minutes. His defense was disciplined and strong, and, like McCaw, he recorded a +18 in his stint.

Thanks in large part to these youngsters, Golden State’s bench is not only deep, but full of players making a big impact.

KD and Dray do what they do best

If Kevin Durant and Draymond Green weren’t so brilliant and fun, they’d be boring to watch. At this point, it’s becoming predictable: Durant will score a lot (21 points), and he’ll do so efficiently (7-10 shooting). He’ll fill up the box score in other places (6 points, 4 rebounds), and he’ll block everything in sight (3 rejections).

Green will make plays and crash the glass and flirt with a triple-double (14 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists), and he’ll play elite defense on and off-ball. There was nothing out of the ordinary for these two against Utah, and yet they were both absolutely superb.