"Warriors been poppin' in the West" - Former NBA champion compares Golden State's Western Conference rise to Kendrick Lamar's album

Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins is impressed with the Golden State Warriors' resurgence this season. He compared them to Kendrick Lamar's newest album before the Warriors' matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.

In the pregame coverage of NBA on ESPN, Perkins discussed the rise of the Warriors this season along with Bob Myers, Malika Andrews and Brian Windhorst. The one-time champ with the Boston Celtics compared Golden State to Lamar's latest album "GNX."

"The Warriors been poppin' in the west like Kendrick Lamar's new album," Perkins said."When it comes down to what they've been doing, I've been watching this team since pre-season and they have a certain type of look.

"They have a certain type of synergy about themselves. They defend at a high level with Draymond Green anchoring that defense, they're number one in perimeter defense. Here's the thing though, I believe that the Warriors are legit title contenders."

There weren't a lot of expectations from the Golden State Warriors heading into the season. They had lost Klay Thompson in free agency and brought a lot of role players to improve their bench depth. Coach Steve Kerr started the campaign with an unconventional 12-man rotation.

However, it has worked wonders for the Warriors, who are off to a fantastic start to the season. They improved to 12-3 following Friday's 112-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. It was also an Emirates NBA Cup game, with Golden State becoming the first team in the tournament to win their first three group games.

The Warriors also qualified for the next round of the Emirates NBA Cup after the Dallas Mavericks beat the Denver Nuggets. They have one more game remaining, against the Nuggets on Dec. 3 in Denver.

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Andrew Wiggins leads Warriors to Emirates NBA Cup win

Andrew Wiggins leads Warriors to Emirates NBA Cup win. (Photo: IMAGN)

For the second straight game, Andrew Wiggins was the leading scorer for the Golden State Warriors. He finished with 30 points, three rebounds and four assists as the Warriors outlasted the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 112-108 at the Smoothie King Center.

Wiggins also had 27 points in the Warriors' previous game, a win over the Atlanta Hawks at home. The former No. 1 pick has been fantastic for the Warriors this season and looking like his old self, having struggled in the past two seasons while dealing with personal issues.

The Warriors have four more games this month, including road games against the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns. The other two games are at the Chase Center, welcoming the Brooklyn Nets and OKC Thunder.

That matchup versus the Thunder is highly anticipated, as they are the two best teams in the Western Conference.