NFL
By: Melo Williams
The Golden State Warriors record is 3-5 and there seems to be some panic on the panic meter with Dub Nation. The Warriors are on a five-game road trip and have lost the first three of the five.
Stephen Curry recorded his 10th Triple Double of his career last night versus the Miami Heat, but it wasn’t enough to carry the Warriors to a victory over the Heat. Steph put up 23 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists but the Heat defense proved to be a little more intact in the 4th quarter than the Warrior’s offense was.
The Warriors opened up the road trip on Saturday against the Charlotte Hornets, Steph Curry’s hometown though he was born in Akron, OH. Against the Hornets, Steph put on a show for the hometown crowd and was four assists shy of a triple-double. He scored 31 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dropped 6 assists in the loss.
On Sunday, in the loss against the Detroit Pistons, Curry put up 32 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
One of the four losses came in blowout fashion versus the Phoenix Suns who appear to have to be taken seriously as contenders to win the NBA championship this season.
For Steph to be off to a hot start in the 2022-2023 NBA season, after leading the Golden State Warriors to winning his 4th NBA championship, the Warriors seem to be struggling some. It’s concerning to some Dub Nation fans, while other Dub Nation fans are saying it’s nothing to lose sleep over yet, 8-10 games into a long 82- game grinding season.
I took a deep dive into what potentially could be the reasons of the Warriors’ struggles so far this season which possibly could be something to monitor going forward this season.
The Warriors are struggling defensively and offensively. Golden State is the eighth-worst defensive team in the NBA. Opponents are averaging 121 points a night against the Warriors. Their defense is 25th in the league in defensive rating. The Warrior’s defensive struggles could attest to Golden State losing defenders Gary Payton II to the Portland Trail Blazers and Otto Porter Jr. to the Toronto Raptors. Losing assistant head coach, now head coach Mike Brown of the Sacramento Kings was a big blow to Steve Kerr’s Warriors defense as well.
The offense ranks 9th in scoring 117 points a night with a 111.5 offensive rating. That’s very low for a Golden State offense led by Steph Curry with a team of shooters.
Steph Curry is averaging 31.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 39.5 percent from the three. Klay Thompson is averaging 12.3 points a night while shooting 28.6 percent from deep playing on a minutes restriction. Andrew Wiggins is averaging 17.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. Draymond Green is averaging 9.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. Jordan Poole is second on the team in scoring 17.9 points a night while coming off the bench.
“We have to get out and play with a purpose and play with some grit,” Kerr said Sunday. “Until we do, then we’re going to be experiencing games where we never quite get the traction we need to build momentum.”
Stephen Curry told reporters in Miami Tuesday night, after the 116-109 loss to the Heat “It’s frustrating because we have a standard,” Curry said. “There’s a little uneasiness probably. That uneasiness puts you in a position where you have to be able to figure it out, and everybody is committed to what that means. In the first three quarters, we really demonstrated that. We didn’t get the job done.
“So, it reinforces feelings of, ‘How do we get ourselves out of this hole? How do we create an identity where we expect to win every single night?’ And not just say it, but we have to be able to go out and do it. I hope everybody is frustrated with the results. But the process is pretty solid.”
Turnovers have been killing the Warriors and we know protecting the ball is vital for a win in the NBA every night. Whoever wins the turnover battle usually wins the game. The Warriors through eight games have given away 158 points off of 132 turnovers, which averages 19.8 per game, the sixth-highest total in the league.
Steph Curry finished by saying “But the big picture is still we are capable of being a team that’s contending for a championship. We have to talent to do it. We just have to have a little bit of patience — but a sense of urgency at the same time.
“It’s a weird concept to try to explain. But having gone through this a couple times, we know what to do.”
It’s too early for panic to set in, but this team has some pending issues at both ends of the court that must be resolved. I’m not as worried about the Warriors’ offense as I am about their defense. The warriors’ defense will need to make an enormous step forward defensively if winning the franchise’s 8th championship is the goal this season.
To close out the five-game road trip, the Warriors have the Orlando Magic Thursday, November 3, and the New Orleans Pelicans Friday, November 4.
