Last season, the Golden State Warriors went 18-2 in their first 20 games and went 7-1 on the road. They’re starting 10-10 when they open their title-holding bid this season, belittled by a dismal 1-9 scoreline away from Chase Center.
Richard Jefferson, on “The Ryen Russillo Podcast,” did an interesting analysis of why the Warriors are off to a surprisingly lackluster start:
Draymond [Green] He spent four years with Izzo, Steph [Curry] I was three years old, klay [Thompson] he was three years old, Andre Iguodala was two years old with Lute Olson. Their core group of guys were older when they entered the league, they had a higher basketball IQ when they entered the league.
“You’re waiting for Kuminga and Wiseman, guys who are unique to be able to play in this read and react system… The Warriors need more adults.”
The champion Golden State Warriors team lost Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr., Juan Toscano-Anderson and Nemanja Bjelica this offseason. They are veterans who have honed their skills, and more importantly their basketball IQ, to operate seamlessly with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
Losing them didn’t seem like a big deal since the Warriors had James Wiseman, Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga. However, his expected development has fallen short, which is a big part of why the Warriors are struggling.
Head coach Steve Kerr was keen to develop his youngsters without taking too many losses. That hasn’t been the case, as the Golden State Warriors have been crushed when their bench crowd comes in. They’ve been asking Steph Curry to come up with incredible numbers to bail them out time and time again. while his youth struggles.
After losing to the Sacramento Kings on November 13, Kerr told the media that he will have to make some changes to his combinations. He also said that he could adjust the rotation a bit. A few days later, James Wiseman was sent to the G-League.
Kuminga and Moody have stayed, but both are on a short leash when on the court.
Richard Jefferson added that he did not question the talent and abilities of the Warriors’ young backups, but was still unsure of their development. More importantly, his development may not be on the same timeline as the Golden State Warriors’ core of Curry, Thompson and Green.
The once-vaunted Golden State Warriors defense suffers from a lack of communication and trust.
The same wavelength is not only required on the offensive end. dramond greenthe defensive lynchpin of the Golden State Warriors, has complained about the lack of communication and confidence in the defense.
It takes game repetition and basketball IQ to maintain the Warriors’ defensive standards. Moody, Kuminga and particularly Wiseman didn’t do very well on that end when Kerr relied on them to play.
It’s not singularly the fault of the youngsters on that side, but they’ve had trouble catching up with Kerr’s defensive philosophy. Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson are equally guilty, but the two can do so much on the offensive end that Kerr can give them a pass.
After Kerr made significant changes to his lineup, the Golden State Warriors are starting to hum. Since their loss to the Kings, when their record dropped to 5-8, they are now 5-2 in their last seven games.
steph curry He’s having an all-time great year and the Warriors may not want to waste that waiting for their youngsters to develop. There are already trade rumors that could bring more veteran help to the Bay Area team..
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