Golden State Warriors he hasn’t started at the dominant level of last season. With 3-5 record in his first 8 games The current champions have proven that they are human and have a long way to go if they want to reclaim the ring. Steve Kerr’s are still far from their bestnot only in relation to its second section, but even in relation to its front pages.
This is the only way to explain why the Californians started for the first time since the 2019-2020 campaign with a negative record, it’s the third time in a decade (2013-2014 was the other previous).
The beginning of the season is not always representative of the general state of the group. In fact, The Boston Celtics started 2-5 last season and finished in the Finals. Although it is true that it is usually a symptom that there is something that needs changing. Only twice since the introduction of the triple has a team that started 3-4 won the ring: Lakers in 1982 and 1985.
With all this in mind, it’s time to ask yourself,Is there reason to worry about the Golden State Warriors’ start?
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A second unit under construction and has casualties
If you just take a look at the data for the Warriors starting lineup, which consists of Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Green and Looney, the results couldn’t be better. Among those quintets with more than 50 minutes, that combination was second-best in the NBA with a +25.3 from net score.
Nonetheless, his bench performance was disappointing. Golden State’s second unit is currently, the third most ineffective in the entire NBA. Only the Detroit Pistons (-9.9) and Denver Nuggets (-9.7) have net score worse than Californians (-8.3).
Although in attack they conform (15th), it is in defense that they suffer the most (26th). Some facts related to the combination of substituents in quintets. Jordan Poole was sensational on offense (17.9 ppg), but James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody they are taking their “first steps” in this league in an important role. And they suffer.
The loss of proven veterans such as Otto Porter Jr, Juan Toscano and, most of all, Gary Payton It has hit Golden State harder than expected. Now the question to be resolved is how Steve Kerr will adjust to this lack of wiggle room.
The defense, the big problem
Although the ideal line-up has worked flawlessly, the moment changes are made to the quintet, everything has fallen apart. The Californians struggle too much to contain their opponents half court and in transition.
In the game in the static are the sixth worst defense according to Cleaning the Glassallowing 99.7 points per 100 possessions, while upon arrival they were the tenth worst at 114.7 per 100 shares.
Worryingly, his schedule hasn’t exactly been demanding, playing four of his seven games against playoff contenders: the Lakers, Kings, Hornets and Pistons.
Again, the performance of the substitutes explains his poor moment before:
- Yes Mychal Green: 60.7% success allowed to the opponent
- Moses Moody: 59.4%
- James Wiseman: 51.1%
The unknown Klay Thompson
Unlike Kawhi Leonard, Clay Thompson He has played all but one of the games of the season due to his fitness and load management. Even so, the convoy is still not in full condition to compete. He’s averaging just 25.0 minutes a night, and the vast majority of his time on the court has been shared with another starter.
Although he is no longer the scorer or defender of the past, Clay is a solid player with great ability to impact the game. Only with Jordan Poole is the balance between the most common twins with him negative (-19.8 cm net score).
Take as an example what Thompson adds to the Warriors, who have allowed the lowest shooting percentage to their opponents of the entire team at 37.9%.
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