The Golden State Warriors dynasty is looking mortal for the first time in nearly a decade when their full lineup is healthy. The reigning NBA Champions are now 6-9 overall and have a staggering 0-8 record on the road.
Stephen Curry is still looking like an MVP candidate, averaging 32.8 points per game while shooting 53.1 per cent from the field and 44.7 per cent from downtown. On Wednesday night, he dropped 50 points against the Phoenix Suns — in a 130-119 loss.
No matter how many points Curry (or the team) scores, it doesn’t seem to make a difference because the Warriors can’t seem to get a stop on the defensive end.
“Forget the road record, we can’t find a sustainable period of success where habits start to form and we’re in a position where we’re coming off the court feeling good about ourselves,” Curry said after the loss, per ESPN.
Draymond Green just isn’t playing as well as he used to. Although his Basketball IQ is still high, he no longer possesses the youth and athleticism to make the same sort of energy plays and have the same defensive impact as before.
The argument has always been that Green’s stat line does not tell the whole story, but even beyond his low averages, he sits 126th in the NBA for defensive win shares.
Former second-overall pick James Wiseman has not found a groove in the NBA so far and has been sent to the G League on assignment after having one of the worst individual defensive ratings in the association. This leaves the Warriors with little to no interior defence, and good teams will take advantage, as Phoenix did Wednesday with Ayton and co. playing a very solid inside-and-out game.
Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins both have not played to the same level this season compared to what they showcased in 2021-22, when both were integral parts of the team’s post-season success.
But perhaps the biggest drop-off comes from future Hall-of-Fame guard Klay Thompson. It seems the injuries and long post-season runs have finally caught up to him, and he just doesn’t have the same spark or energy to be the second-best player on a championship-level team. Thompson is averaging 14.7 points per game, which is his lowest mark since his rookie season, and averaging career lows in both field goal (35 per cent) and three-point percentage (33 per cent).
By no means is this team dead and out of the water because we all know when things click, they can be extremely dominant. Right now, however, everything that can go wrong is going wrong, with the exception of Curry, for this squad.
“I’m scoring great, trying to be efficient and I’m going to keep doing that,” Curry said. “But there’s a collective kind of mindset around how I need to help everybody get in the right frame of mind to try and win, and I’m up for the challenge of figuring that out.”
If they can be a more cohesive defensive unit and if the players surrounding Curry can find the games they had last spring, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if this team makes a run and regains its championship form.