by Warriors’ offensive woes highlighted by depth player regression originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors entered the season confident that their revamped roster would allow them to ride the wave that many attribute to Stephen Curry. They were finally equipped with enough shooters to join the 3-point revolution.
And for the first 15 games, it seemed like they were right. They finished fourth in the league in 3-point attempts (41.4 per game), 3-point made and 3-point percentage (38.3).
Curry, who for so long relied primarily on Klay Thompson as his deep shooting sidekick, now had a cavalry at his side.
Golden State’s cavalry is in retreat, with its 3-point shooting trending sharply downward, and that’s among many deficiencies that have appeared in recent games, including Saturday in Phoenix, where the Warriors lost 113-105 against the Suns.
“We didn’t play a bad game,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters at the Footprint Center. “Nine turnovers, 28 assists. We had a good look, but the ball didn’t go in.
“But (the Suns) were great, 18 of 35 from 3. In the first half, I thought our guys played pretty solid defense, turning, stealing. But they spread you out and they did a great job of getting behind us a few times, drawing our guys into rotations, and then scoring 3s behind the play.”
Everything is true. Golden State’s defense was annihilated in the first half by the Suns’ dizzying ball movement, leading to open 3-pointers on most of their possessions. The Suns were 14 of 21 from distance in the first half before fading to 4 of 14 as the Warriors brought more defensive intensity.
The Warriors’ inability to slow down Phoenix in the first half was compounded by an offense that too often worked in vain. Shooting 38.1% from the field, including 34.8 from beyond the arc, the Warriors only had 49 points in the first half. The situation improved slightly in the second half (44 percent and 35.3 from deep), but the shooting that was shining not so long ago seems dusty.
Through their first 13 games, the Warriors were second in the NBA in 3-pointers made (16.3 per game), fourth in 3-point attempts (41.3) and second in percentage (39.0). Six players were shooting above the 40 percent level required for elite status.
Those numbers have dropped noticeably over the last six games. Curry during this stretch is shooting 43.8 percent from deep and Andrew Wiggins is at 45.2 percent. Buddy Hield has slipped slightly, shooting 39.5 percent over the last six. They hold up well.
These are the other 3-point shooters who have fallen from the precipice: Draymond Green, not presented as a shooter, is 6 out of 27 in the last games. Jonathan Kuminga, whose offseason plan was to work on his 3-point shooting, is 5 of 25 (20%). Those considered “shooters” have cooled considerably. Moses Moody is 3 of 16 (18.8%), Brandin Podziemski is 5 of 25 (20%) and Lindy Waters is 9 of 31 (29%).
With the bench being great early and hitting some nasty bumps, the Warriors suddenly don’t have a deep shooting group.
“It can be hard to find a rhythm sometimes, not knowing what to expect from game to game,” Kevon Looney said. “But our guys are doing a good job of staying ready. Everyone knows they’re going to get in there at some point.
“(Kerr) is going to play all of us at some point. You just have to be ready at that moment in the game to create a spark, bring energy and make plays.
Golden State throws triples at about the same rate, ranking fourth in completions and attempts. But accuracy has dropped. They are now 10th in percentage (37.6). To be more specific, the Warriors are shooting 34.7% from deep (17th in the league) over their last six games. They are 2-4 over this period, with successive defeats, the last on Saturday in Phoenix.
A problem emerged early on: Curry ran half the court without scoring a basket. Nothing inside or beyond the arc. The other problem is that his teammates were unable to take over.
This could become a serious problem. One of the main reasons general manager Mike Dunleavy spent the summer chasing shooters is to ease the burden on Curry. It looked good at first. It worked wonderfully when the Warriors were 12-3.
It’s looked perilous recently, which is why they’re now 12-7.
“Yeah, I mean, he’s 36,” Kerr said of Curry. “It’s all part of getting older and managing your minutes and your body. Rick and his team are the best in the world at what they do. We work together every day on this subject and so we will find out.
“Rick” is Rick Celebrini, Golden State’s vice president of health and performance. Celebrini and his team hope to massage Curry as he enters the twilight of his career.
This twilight seems much darker with the cavalry behind Steph so silent.
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