Four Reasons Why The Golden State Warriors Are Falling Apart

They’re Not Getting to the Rim

One thing that hurts Golden State more than anything on offense right now is their lack of a slasher from the wing who can get to the basket and at least draw a foul. Jarrett Jack might qualify, but in reality a lot of his scores around the basket come on floaters, and he doesn’t look to draw contact in the same way as someone like Corey Maggette on the 2007 Warriors did.

You might think that Carl Landry would be that player too, but he really employs more of mid-range offensive game from the elbows, and if he gets the ball in the low post he’s more of a back-to-the-basket big man that uses his shiftiness and solid arsenal of moves to find a way to score.

Feb 26 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (1) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (24) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

This is really the job of young guys like Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes, but they seem content to shoot jumpers rather than get in the lane and see what happens. Barnes could be especially effective at this, as he’s shown an ability to take his man off the dribble and get to the hoop with force.

It’s telling that no player on Golden State’s roster averages more than four free throw attempts per game (David Lee leads the team with 4.1), and elite teams know how to get to the line when shots aren’t falling to get some easy points and slow the game down.

Of course, the Warriors are not a veteran team, which leads us to the next topic of discussion.