The Golden State Warriors have had a season-long championship hangover. Every time it seems that they are on track to turn things around, they put up a stinker of a performance that ends up knocking them down a few pegs. For example, after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers despite not having Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson (among others) on Friday night, the (almost) full-strength Warriors ended up scrapping the bed against the Kevin Durant-less Brooklyn Nets two days later.
And yes, underlying metrics show that the Warriors, indeed, deserve their 23-24 record at the time of writing. In particular, the Warriors’ defense has fallen off a cliff. After posting the second-ranked defense last season, Golden State has dropped all the way to 15th, allowing opponents to score 113.4 points per 100 possessions.
Defense wins championships, and the Warriors are clearly the epitome of that old adage. Andrew Wiggins’ long absence in December certainly played a part in that drop-off, but it’s clear that the Warriors just haven’t shown the same lockdown effort they exerted last season. Draymond Green is only getting older; it’s unclear how long he could anchor the defense at an elite level.
Having breached the halfway mark of the season, the Warriors’ defensive concerns should only grow louder, especially with the NBA trade deadline approaching. Nevertheless, they could very well still make moves that could jolt them back to life.
Or they could end up making Warriors’ fans nightmares a reality.
Warriors’ nightmare scenario: Failure to improve bench/big man/defensive depth by standing pat at the trade deadline while other Western Conference playoff contenders swing trades
The losses of crucial bench pieces such as Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II have proven costly; their young prospects such as James Wiseman, Moses Moody, and Jonathan Kuminga just have not filled their shoes as well as they had hoped. (Nevertheless, it has to be said that Kuminga is playing better than of late.)
The quick development of those three young prospects is crucial to the Warriors’ contending timeline, especially with the Warriors’ core led by Stephen Curry continuing to get up there in age. The Warriors expected those three, along with $140 million man Jordan Poole, to serve as the bridge that allows Golden State to transition from one contending timeline to another.
Alas, the Warriors are learning firsthand just how difficult it is to manage the balancing act between developing young prospects and contending. As much as Golden State needs to give their young guns minutes for them to develop winning habits, they also need to prioritize putting in players that could impact winning right now to maximize the remaining elite years of Stephen Curry’s career.
The question that looms ever so largely for the Warriors now is just how far should the pendulum swing towards one way or another?
James Wiseman’s struggles, in particular, have been so detrimental to the Warriors’ big man depth. In addition, JaMychal Green just has not been as impactful as the Warriors thought he would be after adding him in free agency. As a result, the Warriors have now decided to go small-ball, starting Jordan Poole over Kevon Looney in an attempt to ignite a spark within the struggling defending champions.
And with the Western Conference remaining extremely bunched up in the middle, the Warriors could still go on a run to separate themselves from the pack. But the Warriors may find that endeavor to be an extremely difficult one to pull off without a significant addition. Now, amid Wiseman’s continued stay in Steve Kerr’s doghouse, it’s no surprise that the Warriors are hunting for a big man upgrade in the trade market. Jakob Poeltl or PJ Washington, both attainable on the trade market, could be such key additions as Golden State heads into the stretch run.
Alas, the Warriors reportedly remain unwilling to “sell low” on their young prospects, making such a trade borderline impossible. Moreover, the Warriors would reportedly just look to “nibble on the fringes” and pull off a minor move, should they decide to do something. But that looks like a huge mistake waiting to happen.
James Wiseman just hasn’t shown any flashes of being a passable defender, let alone of being an impactful one. He just has not been able to overcome his lack of mobility and defensive instincts. Sure, he’s only 21 years old and he may turn into a keeper in the future, but the Warriors don’t have the luxury of waiting for him to turn into something more than he’s shown.
But the true nightmare would be if the Warriors’ competition for the other playoff spots, such as the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, and Minnesota Timberwolves, among others, pull off significant upgrades.
The Warriors know just how difficult it is to be a play-in team; in 2021, they memorably lost both play-in games, knocking them out of the playoffs entirely. Their goal should be getting the sixth seed at the very least. But that may be extremely difficult if they rest on their laurels with the trade deadline approaching.
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