A season that began with so much promise—wins over the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets—has spiralled into mediocrity. After those two victories, the Warriors have gone 11–14 and are currently mired in a 4–6 stretch that includes back-to-back defeats to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Portland Trail Blazers, even with Steph Curry going off for 39 and 48 points, respectively.
Put simply, a lot has gone wrong for the Warriors. And the problems, evidently, start with coaching, as head coach Steve Kerr himself recently pointed out.
“I’m not doing my job well this year,” Kerr admitted to reporters in Portland after Curry’s masterpiece wasn’t enough to prevent a 136–131 loss to the Trail Blazers on Sunday (Monday in the Philippines).
Kerr’s blunt honesty is certainly admirable and refreshing. And it could also be a strategy to insulate his players from criticism and pressure, especially with the Warriors’ uneven play this season. Either way, Golden State has lots of fixing to do if it is to fulfil lofty expectations that come with having two fantastic alphas in Curry and Jimmy Butler, surrounded by veterans like Draymond Green and Al Horford.
Turnovers Are Killing the Warriors
Granted, for the sake of argument, that Kerr hasn’t been coaching up to par this season. It still isn’t his fault that the Warriors are shooting themselves in the foot by committing so many turnovers. In fact, Kerr himself believes that turnovers are holding back the Dubs from being an elite team.
Against Portland, for instance, Golden State committed 18 turnovers, leading to numerous lost possessions and points for the Blazers. For the season, the Warriors are coughing the ball up 15.3 times a game, which is tied for third-most league-wide, just behind the Blazers and Washington Wizards (16.0 turnovers a game), and the Utah Jazz (15.8).
Naturally, Golden State’s offence, which should be prolific given Curry’s status as an all-time offensive weapon, has taken a hit. As of press time, the Dubs’ offensive rating—113.4—ranks 20th out of 30 teams, and is just being propped up by one of NBA history’s greatest scorers.
So, yes, Steve Kerr can shoulder all the blame that he wants. And maybe he really isn’t doing a good job at all. But until his players protect the ball better, no amount of good coaching will turn the season around.
