Something positive about every NBA team, Part III

Finishing up with teams G through A

After a short detour, we’re ending our annual optimism series with the beginning of the alphabet! Part I, which was 100% free, can be found here; Part II and this final piece are mostly pay-to-play, so consider supporting your not-least-favorite NBA blogger (hopefully that’s me!) with a paid subscription to unlock access to this and all articles, including my frankly excellent piece a few days ago on nine players with a surprising skill.

I’ll be off Tuesday for the holiday, but I’m returning next Friday with another creature feature! This time, we’ll discuss an alluring but frustrating big man.

Coming back to the topic at hand, I’m pleased to report that this was a much easier exercise than going through Part I, where I had some real trouble being nice. In the front of the ABCs, even the bad teams are mildly intriguing at worst!

Golden State Warriors

Reason for optimism: Jonathan Kuminga Steph+Jimmy+Draymond

Usually, I try to find something a little below the surface, but the Warriors only have, like, four players under contract right now, limiting my options. Let’s not overthink this one.

The Curry/Butler/Green lineups were a top-decile offensive and above-average defensive trio (including forcing an insane number of turnovers) despite a lack of reliable shooters around them. Assuming the reports that Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton are waiting patiently to sign with the team are true, the Dubs should come back with a better, more versatile supporting cast next season.

The Warriors aren’t a likely threat to win the NBA Finals, but they certainly have a chance to make some playoff noise. At this stage in their careers, that’s about as good as anyone can ask for.

Detroit Pistons

Reason for optimism: Internal improvement

Cade Cunningham’s breakout last season wasn’t just a “Look how much I did over the summer!” thing; he legitimately improved as the season went on, powers growing day over day like a bamboo shoot.

Now, it’s the rest of the young roster that intrigues me. If he weren’t a twin, Ausar Thompson would be the most unique player in the NBA (I know “most unique” isn’t a thing, you pedants!) He may already be a top-three defender in the NBA. The way he so casually steals the ball from some of the league’s best ballhandlers is outright disrespectful:

If Thompson can figure out ways to further improve offensively as a screener and playmaker, the sky is the limit for him.

Jaden Ivey’s fit with Cunningham gets a whole lot easier if he’s actually a 38%+ three-point shooter on volume (and he was at 41% in his truncated third season); defensive improvements (to a degree) under JB Bickerstaff feel like a given. Jalen Duren has plenty of room to grow defensively himself, but he just turned 22, possesses a tiger’s athleticism, and has shown the kind of quick passing that hints at blossoming game-feel. Isaiah Stewart is one of the best backup bigs in the game, and Ron Holland’s confidence opened eyes in Summer League.

The Pistons are young, rambunctious, and fun as all the things your mother told you not to do growing up.

Denver Nuggets

Reason for optimism: I don’t want to jinx it