Just a year and a half ago, the Golden State Warriors were celebrating their 4th NBA Championship in 7 years. They seemed to be successfully carrying out their “two timelines” plan, and looked like a perennial contender once again. To put it simply: things have changed.
The Warriors currently find themselves outside of the Western Conference play-in at 17-20. The past few weeks in the Bay Area have been full of turmoil, and been a struggle for everyone in the organization.
Draymond Green is working his way back from a 12-game suspension (his 2nd of the year), Jonathan Kuminga has publicly expressed his frustration with Head Coach Steve Kerr, Andrew Wiggins is playing the worst basketball of his career, and the whole team is on the trade block. Steph Curry is trying his best to hold this all together, but, even for someone of his prowess, that’s a tall task.
The Warriors have played nearly 20 different starting lineups so far this season, searching for one that works. Well, none of them have. The once lethal Steph-Klay-Wiggins-Draymond-Looney lineup is -23 in 133 minutes this year.
Rotation…
Steve Kerr has been inconsistent with his allotment of minutes for the young guys even though they have often times been better than the vets. At times, it’s hard to find a real pattern with Kerr’s rotations and substitution methods. The Warriors are still searching for their “go-to” lineup, and have almost exhausted all their options. But, why are none of these lineups working?
Five of Golden State’s key rotation players are providing next to nothing when it comes to outside shooting. Andrew Wiggins, once a prototypical 3&D wing, has lost his shooting touch (29.8%). Kevon Looney and Trayce Jackson-Davis are not going to even think about shooting a three.
Jonathan Kuminga is shooting 27% on a very low volume, and Draymond Green is always going to be defended as a non-shooter. In this era of NBA basketball, it’s nearly impossible to have an effective offense with this many non-shooters, even if you have two of the best ever.
The offense has managed to hover around league average, or even a little better, but even that seems like a waste with someone as good as Steph Curry on your team. It’s unrealistic to expect Curry to keep playing at an MVP level at the age of 35 (soon to be 36), especially when defenses aren’t really concerned about anyone else on the floor.
The offense has been underwhelming, but the defense is the true culprit here. The Warriors currently rank 23rd in team defensive rating for the year and 29th over the last 10 games. The absence of Draymond Green plays a role in this, but being this bad even without Draymond is inexcusable. Outside of Green, the defensive personnel just isn’t very good.
The trio of Curry, Paul, and Podziemski is never going to be a good defensive backcourt simply due to their size, athleticism, and age. The continued decline of former standout wing defenders Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins hurts their ability to create versatile defensive lineups.
They lack a true rim protector, and you’d be hard pressed to find a plus defender playing real minutes on this team not named Draymond Green.
Now, maybe Draymond comes back and magically fixes all these issues, but I’m not counting on it. This team doesn’t need to be outstanding defensively, but has to find a way to at least be competent.
Make a Trade?
So, what can the Warriors look to do at the trade deadline? In all honesty, I can’t envision a realistic trade that moves the needle for this squad. Zach Lavine is a big name that will likely be available, but I’m not sure he helps the offense more than he hurts the defense. Pascal Siakam is one player that seems like he could be a good fit in Golden State. But, Toronto would surely want Kuminga in that deal, and the Warriors appear to be fixed on keeping him.
Other names such as Lauri Markkanen, Kyle Kuzma, and Dejounte Murray don’t seem like realistic candidates, but you never know. It all comes down to who the Warriors are willing to trade. Would they dare break up the Steph-Klay-Draymond trio and send Thompson elsewhere? Are they willing to let their young core go for a win-now move? The front office has some real questions to answer over the next month in hopes of maximizing their last few years of Steph Curry.
It’s important to remember that we were having these same conversations in 2022 before they ripped off a legendary playoff run. It’s hard to ever count out this group, especially with Steph Curry still playing this well. However, I would be shocked if this team made a drastic turn around, and fully expect them to be a non-factor in the playoffs this season.
