Opinion: Warriors at pivotal point with Stephen Curry’s frustrations and James Wiseman’s benching

The Golden State Warriors star unleashed his frustration. After spending most of his NBA career sharing joy with his teammates, Stephen Curry instead shared sharp words well before a 130-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday became official.

“It’s always about what’s happening in the moment. That’s just basketball,” Curry said. “Try to bring a competitive spirit and leadership in all different type of ways. But we had an opportunity to set the tone for the second half of the season tonight, and obviously didn’t do it.”

The Warriors rookie also unleashed his frustration. After spending his rookie career showing mixed development with his play, confidence and decision making, James Wiseman owned up to another mistake. Warriors coach Steve Kerr benched Wiseman for the first three quarters against the Clippers because he missed practice and failed to take the first two league-mandated COVID-19 tests during the All-Star break.

“I completely forgot, but I’m human,” Wiseman said. “I made a huge mistake. Most definitely, I will not do that again. I have to make sure I’ll be disciplined.”

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Curry and Wiseman represent different parts of the Warriors’ identity.

Curry captures the Warriors’ glorious past after he helped them win three NBA championships in five Finals appearances with his stunning shooting accuracy and his empowering leadership style. Wiseman, the No. 2 pick in last year's NBA Draft, symbolizes the Warriors’ hopeful future and has shown flashes of star potential. But as the Warriors try to bridge their successful past to their future, Curry and Wiseman have entered a crossroads.

While spending most of the season playing at his best and garnering regular-season MVP consideration, Curry has encountered otherwise unfamiliar territory aside from teaming up with forward Draymond Green. Curry has played without Klay Thompson after he injured his right Achilles tendon in November. Curry has played with mostly a young and unproven roster that has contributed to the Warriors (19-19) ranking 10th in the Western Conference after experiencing a season-worst four-game losing streak.

In Thursday's game, Curry had 14 points while shooting only 6-of-16 from the field and 1-of-8 from 3-point range merely four days after winning his second 3-point contest.

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“I feel like the vibe of the games like tonight and some of those big wins, every game feels like two. It’s like an emotional roller coaster that you really have to stay even keel,” Curry said. “That competitive fire obviously remains. We’ve done a pretty good job of adjusting. We just haven’t found any consistency. That is a frustrating thing, for sure. We have to find that if we want to be a threat in the playoffs.”

While spending some of the season impressing the Warriors with his rim protection and work ethic, Wiseman has also experienced unfamiliar territory. After playing only three games at the University of Memphis, Wiseman have received constant feedback from the Warriors about improving his decision making, his confidence and his aggressiveness. After serving split roles as a starter and reserve, Wiseman faced a different challenge against the Clippers by spending most of the game sitting on the bench. 

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