Avoid air pockets, the challenge for the Warriors at the start of the season

NBA reigning champions, the Warriors are experiencing a delay in ignition at the start of the season with five defeats in the first eight games. And even if it’s still a bit early to really ring the alarm bell, an ugly trend has taken hold in the San Francisco Bay Area: the Stephen Curry gang is today unable to drop a serious match on the whole 48 minutes.

30-18 in the second quarter against the Nuggets. 33-20 in the third against the Suns. 34-23 in the first against the Hornets. 34-18 in the second in Detroit. And 30-15 in the last yesterday in Miami. In each of the Warriors’ losses this year, Steve Kerr’s team has suffered a fatal air pocket, whether at the start, middle or end of the game. How to explain this nasty habit at the start of the season? Hangover from the champion, big defensive irregularity, lack of sense of urgency, attack that stalls because of turnovers and a ball that suddenly stops moving, lack of certainty in terms of rotations… Here are some of the reasons one can cite for trying to understand Golden State’s current results.

Coach Steve Kerr is not afraid to admit it, his team is fumbling at the moment. With the departure of several role players who have been invaluable during the victorious course of the last Playoffs (Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. in particular), the absence of rookie Donte DiVincenzo (out the last five games) and a Klay Thompson still lacking in rhythm, the Warriors are still looking for the best formula to be able to stay solid from the first to the last minute of a basketball game. In the pre-season preview, we also stressed the need to see the youngsters of the step-up team to allow the Warriors to manage their regular well but for the moment, it must be said that the results are mixed. Center James Wiseman has given an interesting insight into what he can bring to the team but is clearly still in the learning phase, Moses Moody is taking up more space in the rotation but logically needs time to gain impact, and then Jonathan Kuminga has disappeared from circulation a bit while Kerr tries to find the best balance with what he has at hand.

“When you play younger players, it’s bound to be more difficult to execute on both sides of the pitch, but that’s by no means the fault of the youngsters. They have their share of responsibility, like all of us. We have to find solutions, but it’s not entirely their fault. Integrating them necessarily changes things, but we can’t blame them. To be honest, I don’t think any of us play really well on both ends of the pitch. »

– Draymond Green after the loss to Detroit, via ESPN

If the Warriors give the impression on match ends of being really The Warriors, some characteristics of this version of Golden State bear no resemblance to basketball usually played in the San Francisco Bay Area. We are not used to seeing the Dubs struggle to conclude a match as was the case in Charlotte a few days ago or in Miami yesterday. We are not used to seeing the Warriors in the last places in defensive efficiency as is currently the case (25th only with 115.6 points against per 100 possessions), or only in the last third of the League offensively (20th in the NBA with 111.5 points per 100 possessions). All that is clearly the symptoms of a team that is looking for itself at the start of the season.

And as with any team that is looking for itself, it takes time and a little patience. This is what Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr are asking today, even if they are well aware of the expectations that surround this Warriors team. Encouraged by the first three quarters played in Miami last night, the Dubs coach is in any case convinced that Golden State will find its stride (via NBC Sports Bay Area).

“I’m really happy with our progress as a team. Everything about the bench, the young players, it will sort itself out and everything will be fine. »

The Warriors are having a start to the season that is not up to expectations, even if some of their current difficulties were predictable. But knowing them, they should gradually find their balance to be able to chain victories again. Good news, their next match is in Orlando, always handy for regaining confidence.