Player grades: Warriors vs. Pacers

Assessing every Golden State player’s performance from the team’s 108-96 loss to Indiana.

The Golden State Warriors lost 108-96 to the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. The loss was not at all surprising: the Warriors were playing the second half of a road back-to-back, and were without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, and Gary Payton II. At the risk of lauding moral victories, it was a damn good performance given the circumstances.

But it was still a loss, and it must still be graded. As always, grades are based on my expectations of each player (remember that when this back-of-the-bench bunch gets decent grades in a double-digit loss), with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.

Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Entering Friday’s games, league-average TS was 57.4%.

Lindy Waters III

35 minutes, 7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 3-for-8 shooting, 1-for-5 threes, 0-for-1 free throws, 41.5% TS, -13

You can’t blame Waters for being unable to fill the shooting gap left behind by Curry, though it certainly would have been nice if he could have created a bit more offense. He just couldn’t really find any rhythm in this game.

Grade: C

Kyle Anderson

26 minutes, 8 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 4-for-9 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 44.4% TS, -23

Similarly, you can’t blame Slo Mo for not being able to do what Green does. But it was a strong all-around game for him, as he really helped set up the offense, and did an admirable job quarterbacking the defense.

Grade: B
Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in assists, worst plus/minus on the team.

Trayce Jackson-Davis

27 minutes, 9 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 foul, 3-for-6 shooting, 3-for-4 free throws, 58.0% TS, -6

TJD couldn’t find quite as much offense tonight as in recent games, which isn’t surprising without Curry and Green’s gravity and lobs. But it still was an awesome game for him, especially against a strong center in Myles Turner. He was hyper aggressive, very efficient, and a menace on the glass. Strong game.

Grade: A-
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.

Buddy Hield

35 minutes, 17 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 6-for-19 shooting, 3-for-12 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 42.8% TS, -16

Hield once again showed a good all-around game, as he really helped fill in for the playmaking absences. He also kept pressure on Indy’s defense, even though his shots weren’t falling. Hard to grade him when he had a strong all-around game, while being so inefficient.

Grade: B-
Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in points and assists.

Dennis Schröder

29 minutes, 12 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, 5-for-13 shooting, 1-for-6 threes, 1-for-1 free throws, 44.6% TS, -10

Not a very good game for Schröder. It happens. Like everyone else, he was in a bigger role than he’s supposed to have.

Grade: C

Gui Santos

24 minutes, 11 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 4-for-5 shooting, 2-for-2 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, 93.5% TS, +9

For the second night in a row, Santos was the star for the Warriors, with obscenely efficient offense, excellent defense, and the ability to do all of the little things correctly. It was an absolutely delightful game for him. His first two times playing meaningful minutes in meaningful games earn him a pair of perfect grades.

Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.

Kevon Looney

14 minutes, 2 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 1-for-4 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 25.0% TS, -12

Looney’s offense has really taken a nosedive this year, but the rest of the stuff remains as good as ever. Seven rebounds in 14 minutes! Two assists and two steals! Strong defense! Good stuff.

Grade: B

Pat Spencer

20 minutes, 17 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 7-for-13 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 61.2% TS, -2

Who would have guessed that there would be a game this year — a meaningful game that the Warriors were certainly trying to win — in which Santos and Spencer would be their two best players?

Spencer was awesome in this one. He was instant offense whenever he was on the court, and played strong defense. Easily the best game of his career.

Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in points.

Moses Moody

23 minutes, 7 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 3-for-11 shooting, 1-for-5 threes, 31.8% TS, +7

Moody had a fairly brutal shooting game, but I really liked everything else he did. He was aggressive, got good looks (even if he missed them), was very active in every phase of the game, and played strong defense. Still, the one rebound and dismal efficiency keeps him from a good grade.

Grade: C+

Quinten Post

7 minutes, 6 points, 2-for-4 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, 1-for-1 free throws, 67.6% TS, +6

Some meaningful run for Post, who showed off his three-point stroke! Awesome stuff to see.

Grade: A

Friday’s inactives: Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Gary Payton II, Brandin Podziemski, Andrew Wiggins