The defending champion Warriors (29-29) are at the All-Star break, with plenty of areas to point to as to where things have gone wrong.
Young bench players struggled early in the year when the team expected them to take on larger roles. Off-court drama disrupted at least the opening weeks. Andrew Wiggins and Stephen Curry have each missed extended time with injuries. Poor late-game execution has prevented the Warriors from closing out opponents in tight games.
But the Warriors haven’t, at least according to forward Draymond Green, been experiencing the dreaded championship hangover.
“I don’t think it’s a championship hangover,” Green told reporters after Golden State’s Tuesday loss. “It’s a will to want to defend. You’re not hungover at .500 60 games into the season. You’re a loser if you’re still hungover at that point. So it’s not hangover. It’s the will to defend, to stop and guard your man.”
The Warriors ranked first in defensive rating last year. This season, their defensive efficiency has plummeted to 21st. In their latest loss, the Warriors allowed the Clippers to shoot 53.3% from the field and 47.2% from behind the arc.
Green, the former Defensive Player of the Year and probably the finest defender of his generation, took responsibility for Golden State’s shortcomings on that end.
“I’m always going to try on that side, but I could be better,” Green said. “I’m just as much of a culprit as anyone else. So I’m not going to point the finger at anyone. If you’re a leader at something and you’re failing at it, it’s your fault. You don’t need to look any further. I’ll take that.”
By the eye test and statistically, though, Green has been stout — as usual — on the defensive end. He ranks fourth in the NBA in defensive box plus-minus, behind only Jaren Jackson Jr., Alex Caruso and Nikola Jokic.
Perimeter defense has been the major deficiency, with opposing wings getting downhill consistently and forcing Green and Kevon Looney into tough spots. That’s one of the main reasons why Golden State’s opponents have shot an average of 26 free throws per game, one of the highest rates in the NBA.
Once ball handlers crack GSW’s shell, weak-side defenders need to be better at helping, Green said.
“Defense is all one, two steps extra,” Green said. “Either I’m going to take that extra step or I’m not. And that’s all will. We don’t have that as a team. We can have that as individuals. I can have that myself. Loon can have that. But if you don’t collectively have that, it’s just like if you put a team together — one guy could really get after it, but if nobody else brings anything on that side of the ball, they don’t even bring effort…you could put Steph Curry or Kevin Durant or anybody else out there on offense. If nobody else is going to want to do the extra things, then it doesn’t work. You have to do it collectively. That is a huge responsibility that falls on my shoulders, and I haven’t gotten us there.”
Golden State added Gary Payton II at the deadline in hopes of shoring up that area, but his abdominal injury could sideline him for the rest of the regular season. He’s expected to be re-evaluated in a month.
FiveThirtyEight gives the Warriors a 73% chance at reaching the playoffs. They’re currently in ninth place, which puts them in the play-in round. But the teams chasing them — the Jazz, Blazers, Thunder, and Lakers — either sold at the trade deadline, have substantially flawed rosters or are several games behind.
Still, the Warriors have put themselves in urgent mode.
“It’s now or never,” Green said. “We’re at .500 at the break. Middle of the pack team with those middle of the pack stats. You’ve got to come out of the break and win, and do it at a high level. Or you go home at the beginning of April. Either everybody’s happy or nobody’s happy, I don’t know. I wouldn’t be happy with that, but that’s what the result would be if you don’t get there.”