One of the many truths about the NBA is that even the greatest teams can look old quickly.
One of the many truths about competitive sports in general is that being “small and slow” is almost always a physical disadvantage.
The Warriors are facing both truths, and unless they discover a cheat code to dispel them, a deep postseason run is unlikely.
This season will be a challenging time for coach Steve Kerr, his staff and our proud decorated veterans. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson still believe in themselves because they have that privilege on their resumes. Chris Paul still believes in himself as his career has been talked about as the best traditional point guard in NBA history.
Can the Warriors move one more point over the top against a much larger roster that is younger, faster and has more time?
It’s been three weeks and I already have some serious challenges running through my mind. Curry, 35, is playing like a dazzling 27-year-old MVP candidate, but Green (33), Thompson (33), and Paul (38) are all struggling with physical wear and tear sending a message. He plays like he’s there.
The Warriors may be able to gain momentum as the season progresses, but they will also need some luck. Here’s a look at his three significant obstacles facing Golden State’s current players.
finish with paint
“Jump Shot” The Warriors are 21st in the NBA with a distance success rate of 34.9 percent. This is a significant drop from last season’s 38.2 points, which placed second.
Scoring in the paint is a completely different matter. They’re not getting much from Kevon Looney and Green. Dario Saric is great in space. Andrew Wiggins has the luxury of driving to the rim. Jonathan Kuminga rarely finishes in traffic, but he has developed a tendency to draw fouls.
Curry, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard, is their best interior finisher, which goes a long way to explaining why the Warriors are last in the league in points in the paint. And their effective field goal percentage is worse than the Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets, and Utah Jazz.
Don’t make 3 seconds. Layup is missing. He only has 2.7 dunks per game, which is lower than Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 2.9. You don’t have to wonder why offenses often lack rhyme or rhythm.
“We haven’t been very good in terms of organization,” Green said Sunday night after the loss to Minnesota. “We’ve got to do a better job of making sure we’re working on some things. Chris has had to do a better job. We both have to work on things better. When Steph gets into a groove, he just moves on. Recognizing that and figuring out how to use him when he’s in a situation where other players are paying attention to him. It is our responsibility to learn.”
The biggest reason for optimism is that deep shooting will improve. Curry and Green are the only Warriors shooting above 40 percent, but it’s reasonable to expect Thompson to stay at 34.7, Wiggins at 15.4, and Paul to rise from 16.2.
too many whistles
None of the six teams are above .500 and are whistled for more fouls than the Warriors’ 21.5 fouls per game. Only the Pistons are forcing opponents to the line at a higher rate and allowing them to make more total free throws than the Warriors’ 26.2 per game. Both rates are higher than last season.
“Some of (the fouls) were undisciplined reaches,” Kerr said. “And some of them we’re just fighting, out of position or something. We know we can cut down on some fouls, and some nights guys getting to the rim. There’s going to be some, and we’ll have no choice but to go up and try and maybe a foul will be called.”
A team built like the Warriors doesn’t have a rim protector (Trayce Jackson-Davis offers hope), most perimeter defenders struggle with quickness, and it takes an incredible amount of brainpower to be an elite defenseman. It requires a huge amount of effort.
This season’s issues are last season’s issues, but the rating for the 2022-23 season was slightly better. This season is already a challenge. Smaller, slower defenders tend to commit desperation fouls against larger, faster players.
I can’t see the “lineup of death”
It’s a bit of a misunderstanding to say that the Warriors at their peak have become “smaller.” They didn’t have a traditional center, but 7-foot Kevin Durant was a nice “big” to pair with Draymond Green, with Andre Iguodala at small forward and Curry and Thompson in the backcourt. there was.
These teams had plenty of athleticism since Durant and Iguodala were still healthy in the middle of their careers. All but Iguodala were between 28 and 31 years old and in their early to mid-30s, so they were plenty fast. They were long, smart, skilled, and cohesive.
“Honestly, it’s our defense… that fuels our offense,” Curry said. “That’s always been a strength of ours. They have to connect, so that’s important in loosening up defenses trying to force us to take tough jumpers and keeping everyone off the perimeter. occupies a portion.”
The logic here is that wisdom, skill, length and cohesion in defence, opens the door to a better attack.
The Hard Truth? This member is rich in wisdom and skill, but doesn’t have much effective length compared to most opponents. The Warriors can only hope that unity can be achieved.
Golden State recognized the risks of its roster strategy. First-year general manager Mike Dunleavy certainly knew that each of the four veterans had already racked up more NBA minutes than when he retired at age 36.
From the first day of training camp, the Warriors knew what they had and what they didn’t have. They believed in their skill, cohesion, and basketball intelligence. They thought these assets would neutralize his experienced size and relative lack of size and athleticism.
And perhaps in time it will be. However, this approach expands cohesive and intellectual capacity.
Ten days into the season, Kerr made a comment that eloquently illustrated his clear-eyed assessment of the team. In order to take the next step, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga and Gary Payton II will need to “become the athletes they are.” Their athleticism is essential to making that element obvious on the roster.
Peyton is mostly solid. Wiggins has been consistently lackluster. Too often Kuminga offsets his athleticism with poor mechanics or failure to read the floor. He’s considered perhaps the team’s best on-ball defender, but J.K.’s poor positioning Sunday night forced Timberwolves forward Kyle “Slo-Mo” Anderson to circle him for layup practice. I allowed myself to wander around. It’s a truly heart-wrenching moment.
But this trio should bring something to the team that the veterans cannot. Curry, Green, Thompson and Paul have never relied on athleticism.
Truth exists for a reason. They are rooted in historical considerations. Almost every rule can have exceptions, but an exception to a truism banishes it from the ranks of truth.
There is another truth here. The first gut-check game of the season will be played Tuesday night. It’s a rematch against the aggressive young Timberwolves at Chase Center. This is an NBA in-season tournament game, and the stakes are up. Past Warriors have embraced such opportunities.
This game will reveal who the Warriors are in mid-November, and if not, who they will be in the coming months.
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