Despite playing on a team made up of several solidified All-Stars and promising rookies, David West is managing to steal the spotlight with an unprecedented resurgence in his second year with the Golden State Warriors. So drastic is this change of pace for the 37-year-old power forward that Marcus Thompson told Murph & Mac on Tuesday morning he thinks there’s more in West’s tank.
“Now, you’re looking at David West and saying, ‘you’ve got about three or four more years in you,’” Thompson said. “That dude might be going for a three-year deal now.”
In 26 games played this season, West registered 87 rebounds with 178 points and 32 blocks. In particular, West scored a season-high 16 points against the Washington Wizards on October 27; along with four rebounds, one steal, one block, and an assist.
“The 37-year-old is playing 12-15 minutes a game and straight dominating,” Thompson said. “Think about that. David West comes off the bench and dominates. He’s dunking on rookies, shoving them, and pushing them. He’s making like every midrange jumper. [The Warriors] have four All-Stars and they’ve have an O.G. who never misses a shot on their bench.”
Yet, this caliber of success was not always the case for West.
“The last couple of years, he’s looked 37. His last year in San Antonio, he didn’t look great. He looked like a dude who was on his last leg and chasing a ring,” Thompson said. “Last year he had a few moments, but they didn’t blow you away.”
After four years with the Indiana Pacers, West joined the Spurs with hopes of winning the first NBA Finals title of his career. However, his quest for a championship ring was cut short in the 2016 Western Conference Semifinals thanks to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the entire season his level of play matched his age.
“I don’t know what happened. Maybe he got comfortable in the Warriors’ system,” Thompson said. “Maybe this is all because he’s on this championship hype and just floating because he’s a champion and you can’t take that away from him. I don’t understand, I can’t put it together how he got better after two years of being kind of a mediocre big man.”
To listen to the full interview check out the podcast below, and start from 2:15 for Thompson on West.