Despite their recent win against the Orlando Magic on Jan 2nd, 2024, the Warriors have
been having a rough season. Currently, the 11th seed, the Warriors are still battling for a play-
in spot despite having Stephen Curry, the greatest shooter of all time.
The Warriors may be in this position for a few potential reasons.
1. Klay Thompson
Though Klay Thompson has had a hall-of-fame career, he recently suffered 2 ACL injuries that
kept him sidelined for almost 941 days of play. Since those injuries, he has not been as
efficient as a player. In his game against Dallas, he went 1 for 11 on field goal attempts. and 1
for 6 on 3-point attempts. In many of the Warrior's losses, there has been a general trend of
less than 40% shooting on field goal attempts. His ineffective shooting is likely due to poor
shot selection.
2. Post Precense
Under Steve Kerr, the Warriors have frequently played smaller players in their lineups. The
advantage of this technique is that smaller players are generally faster, more nimble,
and have a better field goal and three-point percentage. However, smaller players are
frequently outcompeted for offensive and defensive rebounds, increasing their opponent's
second-chance points. In addition, smaller defenders are worse at defending compared to
larger players, especially at the rim.
The Warriors have had success with smaller lineups in the past and many times in the
current season as well; however, the Warriors do not have enough post-presence to get
rebounds at crucial times when getting a second chance can be the difference between
winning and losing a game.
3. Coaching
In past games this season, the coach has made poor lineup decisions near the end of the
game. For example, switching out younger players who were on fire, for veterans. Often, this
has led to losses for the Warriors. Kerr has often said that he switches them out because he
can have a Veteran player on the floor.
The Future: How can the Warriors resolve these problems
veteran leadership for the team and has a strong bond with Steph and Draymond due to
their many champions together. However, if Klay continues to have poor shot selection and
poor shot efficiency, the Warriors should either reduce Klay's minutes or if necessary, move
Klay to the bench
Second, for Pose Precense, the Warriors should likely trade or sign a taller, big man
for their roster. Their current big men do not seem skilled enough or tall enough to effectively
guard many of the NBA's centers, which decreases their effectiveness in the Post.
Lastly, for Coaching, Kerr seems to be improving his lineup recently. Kerr should pay more
attention to how well the rookies are playing rather than just relying on veteran leadership
especially as if the rookies are playing in tense games, it help them learn and help the team
in the future.
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