"Nobody’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf right now” – 8X NBA all-star asserts Warriors are losing team connection
After winning the NBA title in June, the start of the season for the Golden State Warriors hasn't gone the way that many were expecting. At 6-9, including 0-8 on the road, Golden State sits in 12th place in the Western Conference.
This is typically a team that runs through the Western Conference in the regular season and postseason. Every time that the Warriors struggle, they'll draw a spotlight because it's not something that the NBA is used to seeing.
Their struggles have all started on defense as they have one of the NBA's worst defenses. With players who typically defend at a high level, it's been shocking to see what Golden State has done on that side of the basketball.
Stephen Curry is arguably playing the best basketball of his career, scoring 50 points in a 130-119 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. On top of that, he's averaging 32.8 points per game and shooting 53.1%. If he keeps this up, it will be the best season in terms of stats throughout his 14-season career.
"I'm looking at nobody's afraid of the big bad wolf right now. Point blank," All-time NBA great and current ESPN analyst Vince Carter said. "(Warriors coach) Steve Kerr said it. Everybody wants to play them and kick their behind, and that's really it. Everybody comes out like, 'Hey, we can beat these guys. We could do this.'
"And to add to it, the body language, you're seeing head down. So, when you're losing like this, everything is magnified. If you're winning some games, you really don't notice Jordan Poole's slump or Klay Thompson's slump. But winning kind of cures everything, and right now, they're not doing that.
"And you're going time and time again, on the road, where you have to be together as a unit, and you can't do that because it's a bunch of individuals right now which we do not see often from the team like the Golden State Warriors."
The Warriors' defense has to be better
The issues for Golden State at the moment aren't on the offensive side of the basketball. Both Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson haven't played their best to start the season. But what to look out for with Golden State is what the Warriors are going to do defensively.
This is typically one of the NBA's best defensive teams in and year out, and that's been a major reason why this team has won four championships since 2015.
Although many are starting to press the panic button for the Warriors, it's tough to do so this early. They typically find a way to get the job done, and Golden State will likely figure it out. That's if the past few years stay true.
Kerr and Curry have built a dynasty and will look to bounce back on Friday as they face the New York Knicks (8-7), who have won three of their past four games.