Marreese Speights: The Golden State Warriors’ Unsung Hero

Nov 28, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Golden State Warriors forward center Marreese Speights (5) celebrates after his teammate, guard Klay Thompson (11) (not pictured) scores in the closing seconds of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Warriors win 106-101. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

In David Lee’s absence, Marreese Speights has been the unsung hero in the Golden State Warriors’ red-hot 21-3 start to the season. Whilst most of the hype surrounding the NBA’s best team is surrounding the Splash Brothers and Stephen Curry’s MVP-caliber performances, Speights has emerged as a vital factor in providing the Warriors with the necessary depth and spark off the bench to become a championship contender.

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Lee, the former All-Star power forward, has played a mere seven minutes in the 2014 season, and Speights has gone above and beyond his expectations as a role player to give the Warriors a much needed boost of energy in their now loaded rotation. From offensive put-backs, crashing the boards, costantly converting three-point plays, and extending the range of his jump shot, Speights has excelled this year.

November 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27, right) blocks the shot of Golden State Warriors forward Marreese Speights (5) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Jazz 101-88. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

In just under 17 minutes of playing time per game, Speights has been producing at an exceptionally high rate. He may only be playing four more minutes than last year, but the 6’10” power forward has doubled his scoring output.

Translate that performance to his production per 36 minutes and Speights is averaging 25.7 points on 53 percent shooting. To put that into context, he’s averaging as many points (per 36 minutes) as Kobe Bryant, and more than LeBron James (24.2 per 36 mins).

Obviously Speights isn’t as good as Kobe and LeBron (and he wouldn’t score as much if he played alongside the rest of his team’s starters for a full three quarters), but the rate he’s scoring at just shows how much he can contribute in a small amount of time.

In three games during the Warriors scorching hot 21-3 start, Speights has scored over 24 points in less than 25 minutes of action. If this kind of quick scoring and production per minute (from a power forward who doesn’t have a three-point shot) doesn’t impress you, then I don’t know what to say. Just go watch Blake Griffin dunk or something.

Draymond Green is another Warrior who’s elevated his game this year, and Speights is right there with him as Golden State continues to excel.

November 16, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Marreese Speights (5) shoots against the defense of Los Angeles Lakers forward Ed Davis (21) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The only thing Speights hasn’t done this year is knock down three pointers, like Curry and Thompson, but other than that he’s done everything that could be asked of him. He’s hustled at both ends of the floor, been relentless on the boards with 5.2 per game, and has drastically improved the accuracy of his jump shot.

From 16 feet out to the three point line, Speights’ shooting percentage has risen by 11 percent since last year, and now stands at a highly efficient 44 percent. Not too bad for the big fella.

With all the three-point plays he’s converting under the basket, he’s proven to be quite a handful for his opponents. Just look here at what he did to the Oklahoma City Thunder, when he dropped 28 points and snagged seven rebounds in only 25 minutes of action.

There’s really no more Marreese Speights could be doing for his team right now. He’s undoubtedly been their unsung hero so far this season, and a behind the scenes star that no one would have expected. As the Warriors hung onto a narrow overtime victory over the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday, Speights came up with a couple of huge offensive put backs down the stretch to hang onto the lead, which only reiterated his importance to this team.

Every other weapon on the Warriors’ roster is still firing on all cylinders as they continue their reign atop the NBA power rankings, and Speights will be a vital factor as they aim for a trip to the NBA Finals.