The first ejection of Klay Thompson's career is the biggest story from the Golden State Warriors' loss to the Phoenix Suns. Call it a blessing for the defending champs, whose ongoing defensive struggles would otherwise be the main takeaways from their 134-105 defeat at Footprint Center on Tuesday night.
The Warriors surrendered 70 first-half points for the third straight game, a new franchise-worst. Their transition defense was no better than it in Sunday's near-collapse against the Sacramento Kings. Golden State's lacking communication led to botched switches, missed assignments and a failure to quickly match up in the open floor.
The Suns finished with a gaudy 128.8 offensive rating as a result, the second time in four games the Warriors' opponent has scored at least 120 points per 100 possessions.
To a man, Golden State refused to make excuses after the game for another porous defensive outing. Draymond Green is hardly the source of his team's many problems on that side of the ball, but nevertheless put the onus on himself for the Warriors to improve.
“It's just not there. The commitment to defense isn't there. That's something we have to correct, and it starts with me,” he said. “I'll make sure we get there. But right now, we're a decent offensive team and a bad defensive team. I don't expect that to be the case, but I know that's something we can change. We just gotta commit to doing it.”
Golden State turned over nearly half its rotation from last year's title team. Kerr's rotation is still very much in flux, with four players in the early 20s vying for playing time. Green and Thompson are still ramping up toward normal minutes loads. The continuity needed to establish a taut defensive string, basically, just hasn't been there for the Warriors, and it's showing.
The good news? Golden State's starters sport a defensive rating of 99.1, per NBA.com/stats, better than the Milwaukee Bucks' league-leading mark. The personnel and infrastructure needed to play elite defense clearly still exists for the Warriors.
Good thing Golden State has an all-time defender like Green in the fold to help all his teammates—young, new and old—ensure they reach that level en masse over the 82-game grind.
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