The 2021-22 NBA regular season continues in full swing, with a focus battle between the championship-winning Golden State Warriors and the playoff powerhouse Atlanta Hawks. In the end, the more powerful Warriors relied on the absolute excellence of star Stephen Curry to give the Hawks a four-game losing streak at home 127-113, and they also ranked first in the NBA League standings with a record of 9 wins and 1 loss while winning 5 consecutive games.
In this game, the warriors' major players still have a very good performance. According to statistics, Steven Curry shot 14 of 28 + 9 of 19 three-pointers + 13 of 13 from the free throw line, and one person scored 50 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 breaks, 1 cap and 2 turnovers. In addition, Wiggins consistently output 13 points, Poole contributed 16 points on the offensive end, Green had 4 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 breaks, and Anderson also scored 11 points. In contrast, the Hawks' core Trae Young had 28 points and nine assists, and Collins also had 19 points and six rebounds.
After this game, the Warriors not only led the league in the standings, but also convinced many teams with their strength. Among them, in addition to a group of scoring maniacs, the role of Payton and Bjelica is seriously underestimated. Payton's defense has been in the attention of the outside world in the previous few games, and his integration of attack and defense has shocked many fans. After cashing in on talent from potential rising stars such as Poole, Cummingga, Moody and James Wiseman, Payton's cross-field excellence is also coveted by the Warriors by other teams outside.
However, now it seems that the Warriors' closest partner Curry is not Poole, who wants to usurp the throne on the offensive end, nor Payton, who is integrated in attack and defense, nor Kuminga, who plays corely, and Moody, Klay's successor, but Belitsa. Now it seems that Bjelica is the hidden killer of the Warriors' lineup with the fewest appearances and the fewest shots, but the highest shooting rate, three-point shooting, passing, and fouling. In the absence of the opponent's awareness, Bjelica has been silently becoming a super nuclear weapon that the Warriors cannot ignore.
In the win over the Eagles, although Curry's stats of 50 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists on 14-of-28 shooting were the most perfect presence, Bjelica's 9 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal on 3-of-4 shooting were also perfect enough. So far this season, the Warriors have occupied three of the league's top 10 plus-minus rankings. Curry became the biggest hit in MVP with a plus-minus of +123, while Bjelica followed with +105 as a hidden killer who didn't pay attention to the outside world, and Payton Jr. also ranked third with +92.
It can be said that the rise of Bjelica is an indispensable asset for the Warriors to compete for the championship now and rebuild in the future. Especially at a time when Stephen Curry is competing for the title in his final peak, Bjelica may be the biggest guarantee that Klay Thompson will not be able to return to the top.