Thus far, this season has been a surprising struggle for the Golden State Warriors, but with 24 games left in the regular season, they still have the opportunity to do something special.
They have a 29-29 record, which puts them in ninth place in the Western Conference, and they’re just 3.5 games behind the Sacramento Kings, who have the third-best record in the West.
A lot of Golden State’s struggles this season have centered around the defensive end, as they rank only 20th in defensive rating, and Draymond Green, the defensive leader, challenged everyone to step it up in that category.
Draymond recently challenged the Warriors to look within and fix their defensive issues.
GP2, Kerr and DiVincenzo addressed those concerns as they enter the season’s final stretch (via @DaltonJ_Johnson)https://t.co/kFL4YjZw1c
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 23, 2023
“It’s the will to defend, to stop and guard your man and sink when you help and trap the box,” Green said after the Warriors’ loss at Crypto.com Arena on February 14. “Rotate. Defense is all about one or two steps extra. Am I going to take that extra step to get there, or not?
“That’s all will. And we don’t have that as a team.”
Defense is the biggest reason the Warriors won four of the last eight NBA championships, and even though they’ve always been known as a fast-breaking team that spreads the court and has no restraint when it comes to shooting 3-pointers, the foundation for head coach Steve Kerr has always been stopping opponents.
That aspect of their attack has started with Green, a former Defensive Player of the Year who is regarded as the heart and soul of the squad, not to mention its emotional and spiritual leader.
When this season started, some speculated the Warriors simply had a championship hangover, which is quite normal, but as the schedule wore on, it was clear that something else was afflicting the team.
One factor in their struggles has been health, as Stephen Curry is currently out with a leg injury and has played in only 38 of their 58 games.
But it isn’t too late for them to get hot and capture yet another world championship.
NEXT: The Warriors Are Still Waiting On Steph Curry
