The Warriors’ historic bench scoring could pay big dividends in the hunt for the title

The Golden State Warriors’ second unit is playing incredibly well to start the 2024-25 NBA season.

In an early campaign where superstar point guard Stephen Curry has dealt with injuries and former All-Star Andrew Wiggins has worked through inconsistent spells, the Warriors’ bench has stunned teams with their offensive firepower.

The Warriors’ bench holds the NBA record for the highest scoring average in history

Andy Lindquist of NBC Sports Bay Area shared a revealing statistic from StatMuse that exemplifies just how potent Golden State’s backup has been on the year:

“Golden State’s formidable depth has momentum to break record for most points per match of a team off the bench in league history,” Lindquist wrote.

“At 58.0 PPG, the team is currently averaging 4.8 PPG more than the 2018-2019 Los Angeles Clippers, who hold the current record.”

The Warriors can dethrone the 2018-19 Clippers for the NBA record

The Clippers team that the Warriors currently have a leg up on was led by that season’s Sixth Man of the Year, Lou Williams. The outstanding goalscorer was at the head of their reserve corps. With 20 points per game, and was backed up by Montrezl Harrell, who scored 16.6 PPG of his own while finishing third to Williams that year in the 6MOTY poll.

Buddy Hield & Jonathan Kuminga have been leading the Dubs’ bench offense

The Warriors have a similar dichotomy. Buddy Hield looks like the clear front-runner for Sixth Man of the Year, albeit early, behind his 17.6 PPG on 49.6 percent shooting from the field and 46.7 percent clip from three-point range. Jonathan Kuminga is not far behind with 14.7 PPG off the bench. After being removed from the starting lineup after Golden State’s third game of the year, the DRC native has scored 15 or more points in seven of their last eight games, including three with 20-plus.

Moses Moody’s 8.3 PPG has complemented their two leading scorers. It remains to be seen how long the Warriors bench can continue their torrid scoring streak. As it is, they play a huge role on offense, especially with the departure of Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks in the offseason.

Unless and until Curry (23.9 PPG) and Wiggins (14.7 PPG) pick things up, Golden State’s support corps will continue to have opportunities to put up points. However, things could change if the Warriors pull off a major midseason trade, such as for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Either way, the pendulum is swinging and their bench will be crucial to them potentially capturing another championship this season or later.