The Golden State Warriors are not the lights out shooting team of the past.
Sure, the injury to Klay Thompson has really hampered their offensive weaponry.
But, the Warriors have struggled in other categories that have caused them to be sitting at 12-10 through the first 22 games.
In fact, if it weren’t for some early comeback victories, the Warriors would have a losing record.
Rebounding / Interior Defense
With the 2nd overall pick in the NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors selected C James Wiseman.
The pick did not come as a surprise as the Warriors haven’t had a dominant big man in years.
Their success in the past was pro-funded by the excellent perimeter shooting by Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant.
With the NBA becoming more and more of a shooting game, you would think it would play it into the favor of the Warriors.
But, when you think about winning another championship, you know the Warriors will need to go through the Lakers, who built a team of giants in the offseason.
On the year, the Warriors are currently averaging 43.8 rebounds per game, which ranks in the bottom half of the league.
Warriors were the worst rebounding team in the league before they lost all their centers. Seven big Celtics offensive rebounds in the second half.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 3, 2021
With the plethora of injuries the Warriors have sustained over the last week at the center position, their rebounding is expected to get worse.
Rookie C James Wiseman has a sprained wrist and is expected to miss a week and a half.
C Kevon Looney is expected to miss at least two weeks with a sprained ankle.
The Warriors say an ankle sprain will sideline Kevon Looney for at least two weeks: pic.twitter.com/doM9Q8P3Ce
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 3, 2021
Although this didn’t play a factor in the win over the Mavericks last night, the Warriors can expect some trouble in their next upcoming games.
With a series versus the Spurs and a matchup with the Magic next week, the Warriors will be facing dominant big men.
If they are able to score 147 points — as they did last night — they will have no problem winning.
But, we all know that isn’t sustainable.
The early injuries coupled with an undeveloped C in James Wisemen will lead to the eventual demise of the Warriors.
Especially, since their offense has been inconsistent in the early season.
The Golden State Warriors Inconsistency
With no Klay Thompson, we knew Steph Curry would have to carry an extra workload on the offensive end.
While it hasn’t been a problem for Steph — as he is top 5 in scoring — he does need some help.
Ever since the departure of Kevin Durant, an over-looming problem for the Warriors has been their bench production.
A problem that is once again apparent this season.
G/F Andrew Wiggins is off to his best shooting start in his career.
Andrew Wiggins now 38 of 92 from 3 this season — 41.3 percent. Never shot 36% or above for full season. Career 33%.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 29, 2021
In fact, he is the 2nd leading scorer on this team, averaging 17.7 points per game.
But, outside of Curry and Wiggins, the Warriors struggle offensively.
F Kelly Oubre Jr. has been extremely inconsistent this season.
Granted, he never loses his confidence.
But, sometimes, that shot happy attitude gets this offense in trouble.
Their lack of depth has hurt this team significantly this season.
Come playoff time — if the Warriors make it — most teams will go box and 1 on Steph Curry.
Forcing their other players to knock down shots and beat them.
Something that is not sustainable with the current construction of this roster.
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