Golden State Warriors: Slow Start Highlights Areas That Need Improvement
The Golden State Warriors aren’t off to a great start on the year, and there are several key areas that stand out for their need to improve.
The Golden State Warriors started the season with three losses in their first eight games. Not only was their inconsistent start unexpected, the fact that two of those losses came at home was even more unexpected.
And alarming.
While it’s still far too early to push the panic button, Golden State’s inconsistent start is highlighting some key areas that must improve if they are going to defend their title.
Though, it’s probably also worth noting that last season, the Warriors got off to a slow start, going 4-2 after the first six games of the season. And after that slow start, players found their chemistry together and made a glorious run through the playoffs.
The issues plaguing the Warriors through their 5-3 start, seem relatively clear. And knowing what those issues are and what needs to be addressed, should in theory, make it a little easier to get a handle on.
The biggest issue facing this squad, in fact, are the turnovers. The team was averaging 18.3 turnovers per game before the game with the Clippers. And, in six games they’ve played so far this season, they’ve committed least 16 turnovers.
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Last season, that only happened in three games. The season before that, it happened in only four.
By turning it over so often, they’re allowing their opponents to convert them into easy points. Take for example, the Pistons who were able to turn Golden State’s 26 turnovers into 33 points.
Although they limited their turnovers against the Clippers to “just” 12, in some of their other games, they Warriors have turned it over 17, 18, 16, 17 and 17 times.
The turnovers obviously mean more opportunities for their opponents. Highlighting that fact is that, thanks to their numerous turnovers, the Pistons took 93 shots for the game, while Golden State had just 77 shots.
"“This has nothing to do with being unselfish,” Kerr said. “This has to do with a complete lack of focus and fundamentals. We are throwing the ball all over the place”."
Before the win at Los Angeles, the Warriors were twenty-eighth in the league with 18.4 turnovers per game.
After their last win, that number decreased slightly, dipping to 17.6, making them twenty-sixth in the league in that category.
Golden State Warriors
This stat though, is curious when compared to the efficiency.
In fact, the Warriors are having one of the highest Offensive Rating in NBA history with 119.7 points. That makes them better than the 1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers, who finished with 115.6 — which is the highest all-time.
Golden State’s True Shooting Percentage is the best in the league with 63.1 percent, meaning the problems are stemming from the defense, where they are twenty-fifth in the league, allowing a whopping 108.3 points per game.
Looking at it more closely though, the team’s worst defensive ratings for individuals belong to JaVale McGee (124.4), Nick Young (117.6) and Andre Iguodala (110.4) among the players who played at least four of these first seven games.
Before their last game, the starting lineup was the most used, and their efficiency, at +26 points, was terrific.
But, the second unit, (Shaun Livingston/Klay Thompson/Andre Iguodala/Kevin Durant/David West) and third unit, (Stephen Curry/Klay Thompson/Kevin Durant/Draymond Green/Iguodala) dropped respectively to +4 and -4 points.
The second unit and the rotation player are not performing as expected, and the difference with or without the starters on court at the moment is huge. It will be critical to solve this disparity moving forward, to guarantee some rest for Durant and Curry.
Limiting their minutes and the wear and tear on their bodies, will allow them them to be fresh when the postseason rolls around.
Another issue facing the Warriors is the rebounding. Specifically speaking, offensive rebounds for their opponents.
The Warriors are the second worst team in the league, with 12.6 percent rebounding allowed per game. In particular, this data was more evident against the Toronto Raptors, where despite the win, Raptors backup center Jakob Poeltl was able to grab 11 offensive rebounds showing Golden State’s poor defensive communication.
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The rebounding issue is not a new theme for the Warriors. In fact, the Warriors struggled with rebounding early on last year as well.
It shouldn’t be anything dramatic or overly-worrisome as the talent is enough to be confident that they will get it straightened out moving forward. And, even though this Warriors team may not break the regular season wins record, it is still clearly the best in the league.