The Warriors haven’t looked like defending champions in their three road games this season, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Golden State dropped to 3-4 after losing a pair of games this weekend to the Hornets, who were playing without their starting backcourt, and the Pistons, who were 1-5 before Sunday night.
Coach Steve Kerr is searching for answers as he tries to develop an effective bench. James Wiseman committed three fouls in four minutes at Charlotte and wasn’t used in the second half, but he looked better in Detroit. Two-way players Ty Jerome and Anthony Lamb both saw action Sunday, and Jonathan Kuminga logged a season-high 19 minutes.
While Kerr sorts through his reserves, Draymond Green said it’s up to the core of last season’s title winners to make sure the team stays successful.
“It’s not their fault,” Green said of the younger players. “It’s not solely their fault that we’re not playing well defensively or offensively. When you are playing younger guys, it makes it tougher to execute on both ends of the floor. But by no means is it the young guys’ fault. They have a part in it just like we all have a part in it.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Klay Thompson sat out Sunday’s game after playing 32 minutes Saturday night. Kerr doesn’t plan to keep him out of back-to-backs entirely like he did after Thompson returned from his injuries last season, but it will continue until the veteran sharpshooter regains full conditioning, tweets Kendra Andrews of ESPN.
- One positive sign is the recent rebounding surge from Kevon Looney, notes Monte Poole of NBC Sports. Looney had nine rebounds in 22 minutes against Detroit’s big frontline after pulling down eight against Miami on Thursday and nine in Charlotte.
- In an interview with Katie Heindl of Uproxx Sports, Wiseman said he’s starting to feel like himself again after the long recovery process from a meniscus tear in his right knee. “When I first got injured, I was crying so hard I couldn’t even get to my mom’s apartment,” Wiseman recalled from when he hurt his knee in April of 2021. “My mom had to carry me to her apartment. I was just crushed. Having a lot of nights where I was crying a lot, like a lot of times where I had thoughts like … I wish this happened differently.”
Warriors are missing Payton’s defense. So many open shots they are giving up and easy lay ups. The rotations have been very bad. I see some type of trade in the future for a defensive specialist.
Yes you’re right but it’s not a one guy thing it’s the entire team. This is why it’s so tough to repeat.., because you see what you did last year to climb that massive Mountain.
It’s tough in the beginning to pay that price again. In fact you’re looking for the helicopter fly you halfway up that next Mountain.
Current veterans know what it takes but the Warriors have seven new young guys to get into rotation minutes. Learning curve and will take a little time. They’ll be fine in the end of course.
A bunch of people were acting like the Warriors were a lock to repeat.
They aren’t.
Klay thompson and james wiseman for marcus smart and rwIII
The Warriors have championship climb fatigue. They were on a mission to win it again after they lost to Memphis in the playin.
They went 18 – 2 to start the season last year and 35 – 27 after. Adjusted to a more normal 13 – 5 start and they were and are now a 48 win team.
Having revalidated there past championship greatness has taken the edge off this team. The chip on the shoulder is gone and veteranitis has set in.
They are unlikely to come to life until February like all veteran teams do. They have no reason to fear anyone in the conference and can easily hunt down anyone whom has risen up after the break.
“They have no reason to fear anyone in the conference and can easily hunt down anyone whom has risen up after the break.”
Cool, I guess thats’ settled. Thanks for letting us know!
I mean, yeah, GSW will likely peak in May-onwards, but they have the talent to lose like 10 games max with this unit, but Kerr straight up just refuses to win, playing scrub G Leaguers in NBA games where they have no business being in at all. Ty Jerome deez nuts.
Kerr is literally putting G Leaguers in vs NBA players, in crunch time, like, down in 2Q and in late and close in 4Q, its absolutely absurd. Ty Jerome is not an NBA player, and he threw the ball away in a crucial possession too. Dont pull the “Who’s gunna play PG” crud either, this isnt Chiozza part 2, Ty Jerome is a SG who they are forcing to play PG, when Moses Moody could probably do that much better.
GSW has lost all 4 games due 100% to playing 2-way players, if Kerr just plays his NBA PLAYERS, GSW won’t lose a game. My god, this absolute clown ALWAYS finds ways to lose, first its acting like Curry was a scrub shooter-only for the first 5 years of his career instead of the GOAT, now its his obsession with playing 2-way players in close games in crunch time over far superior players. He has Steph, Klay, Moses and Jordan – they dont NEED any more Guards!!
I hate him so much, he hasnt deserved or earned any of his rings and has just caked off Curry’s greatness – I know why MJ punched him now…
So dramatic.
6
Steve Kerr wasn’t even the head coach of the Warriors until Curry’s 5th season. Kerr came in and brought in the motion offense which empowered Curry so he could become the best shooter of all time and revolutionize the game.
It also doesn’t do any good at this stage of Curry, Thompson or Green’s career with their injury history to run them into the ground. The early season is supposed to be about finding out what guys you can count on and building chemistry.
Taccocat1331, you know ball !!
Curry wasn’t Curry until Kerr unlocked him. He earned those rings more than anybody.
I wonder if the internal drama of the draymond punch has affected the team
Good question.
For sure 100%