We are officially at the midway point of the 2020-21 NBA season. Coming into the season, this Warriors team had a wide range of possible outcomes. Nobody knew whether they would be a top-4 seed in the West, or if they would be bottom-feeders for a second straight year.

So far, we have seen something that is probably in the middle range of those outcomes. After winning three straight, the Warriors lost each of their last three games leading up to the break. They have had some epic wins over some of the NBA’s best teams, and they have also had some terrible meltdowns in games that they most certainly should have won.

Overall, this Warriors team still has a wide range of outcomes. Right now, they are .5 games out of a playoff spot, and are only 3 games back of the 5th seed. This team could find its groove down the stretch and ride to a top-6 seed (where they wouldn’t have to play in the play-in tournament), and they could also miss the playoffs entirely.

With that, we still have plenty to learn about this Warriors team. However, let’s go over five things that we did learn about the Warriors in the first half of the season.

Stephen Curry is still an MVP-level player

Remember last year when people were questioning Steph’s ability to carry a team, and even were saying he was no longer the best point guard in the NBA? Me neither. Steph is currently amidst one of the best years of his career, showing flashes of his 2015 self. He has had some epic individual performances, but the Warriors have unfortunately wasted a few of those games. Regardless, Steph is having an MVP-caliber season; the Warriors just need to do a better job of capitalizing on his greatness.

James Wiseman has huge potential, but also a long way to go

Wiseman has been a huge source of frustration for Warriors fans this season. He’s always in foul trouble, he has struggled rebounding and adjusting to the physical nature of the NBA, and sometimes he just looks lost on the floor. However, there have also been plenty of flashes from Wiseman. There have been some plays this season that he has made that very few NBA players could make. He is a special athlete and could be a special player, but he is still very raw. Fortunately, the Warriors are willing to be patient with him and have shown nothing but support for him.

The second unit lacks playmakers

After a decent start to the season, the Warriors second unit has fallen off dramatically, especially in terms of offense and playmaking. Damion Lee and Kent Bazemore have been solid, but they aren’t really playmakers. Juan Toscano-Anderson has played well, but he makes a bigger contribution on the defensive side. Eric Paschall isn’t playing well, Brad Wannamaker has Warriors fans calling for his head… you get the idea. The Warriors need to jump start their second unit. Nico Mannion and Jordan Poole just got called back from the G-League after finding success while playing big minutes in Orlando, and Poole looked incredible in his first game back. Mannion wasn’t perfect but he definitely looked like someone who can contribute and make plays. Unless they seek an upgrade via the trade market, it seems as if the Warriors might need to hope for a breakout from one of the two players.

Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andrew Wiggins have been good, but can get better (and more consistent)

This one is interesting, as Wiggins opened the year doing everything the Warriors wanted him to do while Oubre was laughably bad to begin his Warriors career. However, ever since the start of February, the tables have flipped. Oubre looks like the Warriors second-best scorer and a great fit for the system, while Wiggins is currently slumping. If you put together Andrew Wiggins from the start of the season and Kelly Oubre from the month of February, then the Warriors are set with three legitimate scoring threats on offense and immediately become a very dangerous team. However, for this to happen they both need to be playing well at the same time, and that has something that we haven’t seen quite yet.

Defense is the key

So far, the Warriors defense has been a top-10 unit in the league, just as Steve Kerr wished for. After struggling there to start the year, the return of Draymond Green has once again boosted the Warriors defense near the top of the league. This team is going to need to continue to excel on defense if they want to rack up wins in the second half.