The Golden State Warriors lost 128-114 against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night, dropping them to 3-4 on the season. This was their second consecutive defeat and third on the road.
The Warriors’ Season Began Poorly
The Warriors have struggled from the start of the season, losing all three games due to the same problems: transition defense, poor ball movement, and excessive fouling.
The Warriors have been clear in their messaging that it would take some time for the team to find its rhythm with its new roster and rotation, particularly when key players like Klay Thompson come back to full health. They are not freaking out.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has claimed that the club lacks a feeling of urgency to fix its problems, which is the greater issue.
Time is required,” Kerr said. “We’re making progress. That is something in which I have a great deal of faith. But our men must band together, and they must feel like they’re working for something. So, it’s up to us to decipher what it means.”
In the Warriors’ loss against the Pistons, guard Jordan Poole stood out as one of the few players to play with consistent intensity. Poole finished the game with 30 points, 15 of which came in a row during the third quarter. With 32 points, Stephen Curry had the most for his squad. Only those two Warriors averaged double-digit points.
The team “simply has to pick it up,” Poole added. “A few of the men were chatting in the changing room, and they brought up the topic of how we need to pull ourselves together quickly. As such, it is a major concern.”
Four Of Seven Warriors Games Have Allowed 125 Points
It is just the second time in Warriors’ history that the team has allowed at least 125 points in four of its first seven games. According to ESPN’s Stats & Information, the last time this occurred was during the 1962–1963 campaign.
According to an analysis by ESPN Stats & Information, the 854 points allowed by the Warriors after seven games this season are the highest by a defending champion through as many games in NBA history. They are ranked 21st in the league in defensive efficiency.
The Warriors have always adhered to the principle that a strong defense is a foundation upon which a high-powered, free-flowing offense can be built. Draymond Green, a Warriors forward, has said that the team’s defense has been suffering due to the offense’s current execution.
Green said, “The fact is you can’t fix every problem.” “Here, it’s all about isolating the sources of our greatest distress. We can’t let everything that’s hurting us also defeat you.
Therefore, you need not fret too much about them. But we must identify the specific sources of the harm that is truly defeating us. When we’ve accomplished that, we’ll be able to enter the situation and assess it.”
Green said that they have yet to pinpoint the root causes of their persistent problems. One explanation for this is that the Warriors are experiencing uncertainty as they rediscover how to play together while also adjusting to a much younger secondary unit.
Golden State almost has a different rotation than their championship squad due to the loss of Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr., the addition of Donte DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green, and the increased workloads of Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and James Wiseman.
Finishing Line
Green said that the team’s inability to execute well on both ends of the court was not the fault of the younger players. “They’re involved, just as the rest of us are.
We need to work out the kinks, but it’s not all their responsibility. It’s a shift for the better that we’ve worked them in, but we have them to blame. To be honest, I don’t believe anybody on either team is playing very well right now.”
And, as Curry put it, “the effort has been strong,” but “when it’s not cohesive when we’re not all on the right string, you can have people try to do the right thing, but it doesn’t lead to any outcomes.”
