The Golden State Warriors entered today’s game with one eye on advancing into the knockout stages of the NBA Cup. For that, they had to defeat an undermanned New Orleans Pelicans. For a game that was expected to be an easy win, turned out to be a nail biter as Steve Kerr and Steph Curry had to dig deep.
They did win the game, but the Pelicans kept the Western Conference leaders within reach. Had they not fouled Draymond Green in the dying seconds, they would have had another chance to maybe tie or win the game. But that possibility threw up further question marks about the Golden State Warriors.
They looked invincible just a few games earlier and many went on to suggest that Steve Kerr has the squad to disappoint many. But today’s NBA Cup knockout stage confirming 112-108 win showed where they have been struggling off late. Three primary reasons come to mind when analyzing those struggles.
1. Steve Kerr needs to fix the shooting slump
In their first eight games, Buddy Hield averaged 21 points per game shooting approximately 50% from three. In those games, the Warriors were 7-1. Since then, he is averaging half those points per game and shooting 33% from three.
A similar slump has been among a few players and the loss of De’Anthony Melton to a season ending injury has exasperated the problem. The only players to improve between those two periods are, unsurprisingly, Steph Curry and a couple others. But their shooting has slumped and has helped opponents keep the deficits close.
The @warriors become the first team to advance to the #EmiratesNBACup Knockout Rounds as the winners of West Group C. pic.twitter.com/3oShsOc9KI
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) November 23, 2024
Good teams could snatch that opportunity and turn it into wins. With Melton out, Steve Kerr will need to figure out how to improve the squad’s in-game performance while also allowing Curry to rest. A burden like last year will wear the 36-year-old before the playoffs come around.
2. Opponents scoring easily at the rim
The idea of starting Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis was to enable both playmaking and rim protection. Green does both well once his younger teammate takes to the bench. But that does not necessarily help them a lot.
Jackson-Davis hardly plays half a game, which leaves the interior unprotected. Teams have been driving to the rim trying to either score or draw fouls from the smaller Warriors. The Warriors are excellent at executing switches on both sides of the ball. But switching does not always work when confronting a team with size.
This game did not feature Zion Williamson or another strong interior presence. Else, it would have made it difficult for them to win. The Golden State Warriors could use some size inside to compliment Draymond Green and Jackson-Davis.
3. Golden State Warriors bench is struggling
In the first part of their season, the Golden State Warriors front office was lauded for the roster it assembled. The team looked balanced and capable of running the wheels of other teams on any given night. Fast forward to today, and teams have started to find chinks in their armor.
The bench for instance, has been struggling off late. The aforementioned shooting struggles are just one part of the problem. Their transition offense has not been as crisp off late, and neither is their defense. It brings one back to last season’s struggles when the likes of Steph Curry had to deal take on the bulk of their offense.
If Steve Kerr wants to lead his Warriors back to the NBA Finals, he will have to sort out some of these problems. Else, they tend to become predictable, which will not bode well when the playoffs start. Other teams have far better personnel pound-for-pound. This suggests the franchise will have to make improvements in their game if they want to fight another NBA title.
