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The Golden State Warriors have had a rocky season to say the least. They are currently 24-27, good for tenth in the Western Conference. The Warriors have struggled anytime that Steph Curry is off the floor and their record reflects this. There are many that posit the Warriors should buy into the losing and end up getting high draft picks, but Golden State does not seem so keen to do that.
The Warriors are six whole games behind the Trail Blazers for sixth seed so they are very unlikely to avoid the play-in round. Still, they should try to make at least the seven or eight seed for an easier path to the playoffs.
The Warriors have a shot at this, but they will need to make some changes to turn their season around.
1) Warriors Keys: When In-Doubt, Play Shooters
The Warriors have a significant bench issue. They have almost no depth at the wing and they really struggle to score and defend without Steph Curry on the floor. The Warriors cannot simply play Steph more minutes, his load is gigantic as it is, but they can find a rhythm to their bench that could help provide more stability.
Jordan Poole, Mychal Mulder, Damion Lee, and Kent Bazemore can all shoot and a few can drive. Players like Eric Paschall and James Wiseman could generate rim-pressure as rollers and with a spaced floor, the bench offense could sing. They could also stagger starters like Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre to play more heavily on-ball with bench units. The Warriors should bet on shooting because it is their most abundant skill and it could give their rotation an identity.
2) Bet on Small Ball
The Warriors consistently play with a true center on the court, whether it be James Wiseman or Kevon Looney, but they could likely find more success with betting on smaller line-ups. Eric Paschall and Draymond Green are both adept small-ball centers and it could unlock a new element for Golden State on both sides of the ball.
The Warriors have had success in the past with small line-ups, but they have shied away from it during this regular season. Golden State would do well to go back to this strategy. It would allow them to switch more on defense and play with pace on offense. Even when Curry is on the floor, the Warriors struggle with spacing and dynamism on offense, but playing smaller more consistently could make a huge difference.
3) Play Wiseman Less
James Wiseman was the recent third overall pick and he has had an up and down rookie campaign. He is an elite athlete at 7'1, but he struggles a lot on defense and his offensive value is questionable as well. He is not an unsalvageable player in the long-term, but he does not provide much value to winning right now.
Playing Wiseman less could optimize the things mentioned above. If he plays mostly with bench units, he could be maximized as a generator of rim pressure and he could have a more defined role on defense. His defensive short-comings would not be so extreme in shorter spurts. Wiseman is a solid negative, and that is what's expected from a rookie, but for a team that wants to turn things around, he should not play heavy minutes.
4) Focus on Offense
The Warriors are, at best, a mediocre team on both offense and defense. They sit about middle of the pack in the NBA on both ends of the ball. This is mostly because the Warriors cannot score when Steph is on the bench and because they rely so much on Draymond Green for defense. To remedy this, the Warriors will have to lean one way, and the personnel makes offense more viable for that.
The bench could be a somewhat potent one if they decided on an identity and if they staggered some starters. If they went small-ball, it would likely hurt their regular season defense, but it would allow them to play with more verve on offense. Steve Kerr will have to be okay with a shift in priorities for team and the team would have to buy in. They don't have the personnel to be a truly elite defense, but they could improve a lot offensively if they bought into that end of the ball.
The Warriors would need to have a very impressive second half of the season if they want to make the playoffs. It might be too late for them to truly turn their season around, but these four changes could go a long way to making their team more successful.
