Untimely injuries could impact inconsistent Warriors’ hopes of recovery originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Coming off three consecutive losses, the Warriors went back to school on Sunday. They spent two hours watching video displaying highlights and lowlights. They studied. They scrimmaged.
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These are things that any NBA team sensing slippage yet still aspiring for a championship ought to do when it’s sitting on a 9-9 record nearly a quarter into the season.
But the Warriors, in addition to the Jonathan Kuminga being on the sideline, also are nursing new wounds. Draymond Green has a foot sprain and could miss the game against Utah on Monday, and Al Horford is coping with sciatica and will miss at least a week.
Asked if the Warriors might assemble their eighth starting lineup of the season Monday, coach Steve Kerr left open the possibility.
“Well, just depends on Draymond’s availability,” he said.
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One week removed from a three-game win streak and hoping to build momentum, the Warriors since have lost the final two games of a six-game road trip, at Orlando and Miami, before coming home Friday seeking recovery, only to get smacked by the sub-.500 Portland Trail Blazers for the second time this season.
The Warriors, eighth in the Western Conference, analyzed all three games, watching “about 40 clips,” according to Kerr, who came away believing the failures are fixable.
“Rebounding killed us,” Kerr said, referring to Portland’s 52-32 advantage on the glass. “But probably five or six egregious defensive errors in communication and scheme, just getting back cut. Basic stuff.
“If you look at the three games as a whole, there were different things each game. In Orlando, the turnovers killed us. In Miami, obviously, we played without a lot of our (starters). We missed shots, but for three quarters, we were solid. And then the turnovers killed us. With Portland, we took care of the ball but had major defensive breakdowns.”
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Jimmy Butler III, speaking after the game, implored everyone to be more prideful in their defense. To take matchups personally.
Seems that approach should reduce the number of open 3-pointers and layups Golden State is allowing lately.
“There’s some of that, and activity level often just covers up a blown coverage if you’re flying around,” Kerr said. “There were a lot of clips from the other night where the activity level wasn’t there. There were several missed, back cuts, behind us that shouldn’t happen. Is that fatigue? Is that lack of focus? Is that ‘Hey, let’s take it upon ourselves?’ It could be any of those. I don’t care which one we categorize it as.
“What I care is that we don’t give up a damn back cut with the game on the line, and we gave up several.”
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So, where do the Warriors go from here? Depends. Recognizing the need for greater size, Kerr has more frequently turned to lineups featuring two players capable of playing center. He acknowledged Horford’s absence could force the staff to “rethink” that plan.
If Green and Horford, a generally effective duo, are out on Monday, that would leave only Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis. It’s a young combo but worth a look. Post’s 3-point shooting provides needed spacing, and Jackson-Davis can work the paint, focusing on rebounding and rim protection.
It is evident that the Warriors, ranked 22nd in rebounding, will have a difficult time chasing a championship if they remain in the league’s bottom 10.
It is evident that the Warriors, who rank 26th in number of turnovers committed at 16.9 per game, also must remain focused on limiting the giveaways.
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It is evident, too, that Golden State’s season will remain a war on mediocrity unless its weaknesses on defense, particularly at the point of attack and the untimely lapses in concentration, aren’t addressed and corrected.
The cold fact is that with injuries to crucial players being a factor, meeting these challenges becomes increasingly difficult.
