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The Golden State Warriors have been a perfectly average offensive team through the first 10 games of the regular season. The defending champions' 112.2 offensive rating ranks 15th in the league, per NBA.com/stats, a standing that's actually somewhat surprising given the simultaneous struggles of two of their top scoring options.
Klay Thompson is shooting 41.5% on two-pointers and 32.6% from three, both easy career-lows. A more telling indicator of his inability to connect in the season's early going? Thompson has made just 26.3% of “wide open” triples, per NBA.com/stats.
Jordan Poole hasn't quite reached his veteran teammates' depths of inefficiency. Still, his 30.1% accuracy from beyond the arc and 47.2% shooting on drives, per NBA.com/stats, mark major departures from Poole's numbers last season, no doubt contributing to Golden State's widespread issues when its vaunted starting five is off the floor.
There are only so many silver linings to take from the Warriors' 4-6 start. Should league-average offense amid uncharacteristic shooting from Thompson and Poole count among them? Considering how dangerous Stephen Curry knows his team can be with his fellow sharpshooters living up to that billing, it certainly seems like it.
“Championship-caliber. Kinda pick your poison type situation where you don't know where it's coming from,” Curry said Thursday when asked the potential of Golden State's offense once Thompson and Poole find their stroke. “You have to worry about shooters all over the court, you gotta worry about Draymond driving the down the lane, having options on both sides.”
The Warriors' average offensive rating actually paints their team-wide performance on that side of the ball in a favorable light. They're scoring an anemic 93.8 points per 100 possessions with Curry on the bench, according to NBA.com/stats, with an effective field goal percentage below 50.0 while coughing up turnover after turnover after turnover.
That discrepancy shouldn't be shocking. Golden State was much less efficient offensively with Curry off the floor even when Kevin Durant was playing in The Bay. If the Warriors couldn't stay afloat on offense sans Curry while keeping arguably the greatest individual scorer ever on the court, it goes without saying they'd labor for points as Thompson and Poole keep chucking up misses.
Don't fret, Dub Nation. Shooters the caliber of Thompson and Poole don't just suddenly lose their touch altogether. The former is still acclimating to the rigors of NBA basketball after not scrimmaging all offseason, and the latter is coming off a title run where he scorched nets en route to 65.4% true shooting.
Even if Golden State continues disappointing at large, at least the jumpers of Thompson and Poole are bound to come around soon.
“I think big-picture, we're not really worried about the offensive side. We never really are,” Curry said. “It's usually the other stuff that gets in our way in terms of becoming the team we wanna be.”
If only the Warriors could count on similarly inevitable improvements from their 27th-ranked defense. The imminent return of Donte DiVincenzo and eventual debut of Andre Iguodala should help, right?
