The Golden State Warriors had an excellent start to the season. They won 24 out of their first 30 games and many put them in the championship favorite spot. While that was understandable, due to the amazing way the Dubs played, putting them as championship favorites was an overreaction. They are a great team, but the overall level of play was unsustainable. The recent fall in form they are experiencing was to be expected. We can be sure that the Dubs will stabilize, but in the meantime, here are two reasons for the Golden State Warriors recent slump.
Warriors slump reasons
Stephen Curry
It is important to start with this – Curry is a certified NBA and Warriors legend. The veteran point guard who changed the way the NBA looks in his 12-year career is still an incredible player. However, after starting the season on a level close to his two-time MVP seasons, Curry fell off. Now, he did not do it in a massive way, dragging his team down with him, rather falling on what can be expected from a 33-year-old with an injury history. Curry is still an MVP contender, but his case was hurt by the recent run of games he is having.
First, it has to be said that the first 30 games for Steph Curry were absolutely amazing. In his first 30 games this season, Curry averaged 27.7 points, 5.9 assists, 5.7 rebounds, shot 40.2% from three on 13.4 attempts, which is simply mesmerizing. In that stretch, the Warriors put up a 26-6 record and comfortably led the Western Conference, while Curry was praised as the leading MVP candidate. In the last 12, however, it all took a turn downward.
In the last 12, Curry is averaging 22.7 points, 6.9 assists, 5.3 boards, shooting an abysmal 37.1% from the field and 32.8% from behind the arc. In that time, the Warriors went 7-5, with an additional two losses in two games Curry did not feature. The alarming thing is that some of the losses came against some great teams. For instance, Curry scored just 12 points against the Milwaukee Bucks, which kept the Warriors star to just shots from the field. Similarly, he scored 14 on a woeful 5-24 night, losing against the Dallas Mavericks by 17.
When the whole season is considered, Curry has been the Warriors' key player and the reliability they have on him is immense. In the four games he missed this season, the Warriors won only one, against the lowly Detroit Pistons. When it comes to strictly losses he featured in, Curry is averaging 23.2 points on 32% shooting from the field and just 28% from three-point range. Clearly, if Curry is not having an incredible night, the Warriors will struggle to win, which might be a problem going forward. He will need to continue being historic in the playoffs, which is a much tougher job with a Klay Thompson that just returned from injury and a generally weaker roster than the middle of 2010's when the Warriors and Curry dominated.
Shot distribution
Now, this is a reason that will be resolved as the season goes forth. The Warriors just got Klay Thompson back from a two-year absence and, for any coach in the world, it will be tough to really know how to allocate shots and who to trust in the offense. With Thompson back, it is clear that he will be the second star in the lineup. While he has featured in fairly limited action, Thompson's numbers suggest that as he slowly returns to non-restricted play, he will take more and more shots from others on the roster.
Right now, in around 21 minutes per game, Klay Thompson takes 14.3 shots and makes 5.3 per game, giving him a success rate of 37.2%. This is based on a six-game interval, since that is all the action Thompson has seen throughout the season. While it was mentioned before that Curry is the outright leader and best player of the squad, the other players also have their contributions. Andrew Wiggins is quietly gaining All-Star traction while Jordan Poole is doing great as well. Still, the Warriors are putting more trust into Thompson, who takes more shots than both Wiggins and Poole.
When the per-36 numbers are taken into consideration, Thompson actually takes more shots per-36 minutes than even Steph Curry. That can be attributed to his urgency to get his shot back and get back into his All-Star form, but it seems like it hurts the team. In the six games he played, the Warriors actually lost four and won only two. One of the two wins came through late-game heroics by Curry, and that was against the Rockets, the squad occupying the last place in the West.
Of course, Klay Thompson should get his shots and slowly regain his confidence, but it must be done in a different way. Should the Warriors continue like this, they will seriously hurt their record and get a worse opponent earlier in the playoffs. Getting the Splash Bros back in full capacity is the main plan the Dubs should have, obviously. However, there is a process that they are trying to skip, and if they continue trying in this way, it might be trouble in San Francisco.
Follow Us
Subscribe