‘We don’t have suckas on this team’: Looking back at an underrated piece of the Warriors 2017 title team

“We’re so tight, people don’t even know what we went through. They trying to find out. We don’t have suckas on this team.” Although David West’s words came after the Golden State Warriors swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals, they embody the impact that West brought to Golden State when he first arrived in the 2016-2017 season. 

In retrospect, it’s no wonder Golden State signed David West to a roster that housed arguably the greatest NBA lineup of players assembled. 

Assembling the “Hamptons Five” added not only an extraordinary amount of talent, but it brought challenges as well in the form of chemistry adjustments, the (possibility) of egos clashing, and the impending backlash from those who believed the Warriors “ruined the league.” 

Golden State became “supervillains,” and an already tall task of being overwhelming title favorites would become even harder. 

How does a team navigate through all those challenges? Not on the will of star power alone. No, they owe it to the “glue guys,” the players whose greatest impact is not only on the floor but in the locker room. The guys who have been through it all and seen it all and know how to prevent the outside noise from creeping in.  

Guys like David West. 

The Golden State Warriors finished the 2016-2017 regular season with a 65-17 record, ranked first in points per game, first in offensive rating, and second in defensive rating. They swept through the first three rounds of the NBA playoffs and knocked off the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games for a 16-1 postseason record. By the finish line, they were arguably one of the most dominant teams top to bottom the league had ever seen. 

But it took some time to cultivate that synergy, that chemistry, and there were bumps and hurdles along the way. They were blown out by the San Antonio Spurs by 29 on opening night, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant’s chemistry was a work in progress, and was evident in their Christmas Day loss to the Cavaliers. Everything didn’t click from day one, and if accustoming to changes continues to linger without progress, it can cause further issues. Make no mistake, there were hurdles for the Warriors to work through. 

Those are significant hurdles that impacted the star players on the roster. On any other team, that might derail the season. But in Golden State? When you have the likes of David West on the bench, it makes battling through those hurdles that much easier. 

First off, it’s safe to say that David West’s game was perfect for the system in Golden State. Looking back, his impact on the court was something that the Warriors may have missed in their most recent Finals appearance. 

West averaged 12.6 minutes per game, three rebounds per game, and shot 53 percent from the field, including 54 percent from two-point range. One of his most valued skills on the court was the ability to knock down the mid-range jumper off a screen. When defenses had to account for Steph or Klay Thompson or KD, they may end up paying at the hands of West’s mid-range game. 

But perhaps his overlooked impact on the court was his strength as a passer, and in Steve Kerr’s system that is predicated on movement, West thrived as someone who could accurately find his teammate cutting to the basket.  

So at about 12 minutes per game, West chipped in and helped fill a role that’s needed when playing around four all-stars. But his lasting influence is something that isn’t measured on a stat sheet. 

For a dynasty like the Golden State Warriors, whose expectation is no less than playing basketball into June, the worst thing possible is having a player that is reluctant to make a play when called upon. For David West, whether it was his mid-range jumper or ability to pass with ease, no moment called upon was too big for him. 

It’s that ability to be unfazed that truly makes David West sorely missed. To be unfazed by playing alongside four all-star stars. To be unfazed by being labeled “supervillains” for having “ruined the league.” To not be afraid of holding said all-stars accountable when the time calls for it. 

To have that type of assuredness on the court, the ability to keep everyone accountable from the stars to the 15th man, that value goes beyond the box score. 

The 2017 Warriors championship team may be remembered for how unstoppable the Hamptons Five were, but don’t count out how reliable of a team they were top to bottom. It’s the glue guys that help keep the ship afloat. They’re the player that every coach wants on their team, and every player wants to play with. 

David West was that and more. As he said, “we don’t have suckas on this team.”