The Golden State Warriors suffered some big losses in the offseason. Letting go of Juan Toscano-Anderson, Otto Porter Jr., and Gary Payton II was a big blow to their defense, and the reigning champions have struggled to get by without them.
Of course, keeping the core together was the top priority. But the Warriors hoped youngsters James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga would step up and help hold the fort on the defensive end, and that hasn't been the case thus far.
So, following a 0-4 road trip in which the first unit was excellent, but the struggles dropped the ball over and over, coach Steve Kerr vows to make some major changes. It's still early, but they can't sleep on their laurels.
NBA News: Steve Kerr Hints At Rotation Changes After 0-4 Road Trip
“It’s been a tough couple games for James (Wiseman),” Kerr said. “But I’m a believer. I love his talent, his attitude. But there’s no shortcuts. We had three fouls in the first few minutes. So, this isn’t a case of our new guys or young guys fouling. It’s everybody. Steph had a reach early on. Once you start to foul, now every single one... it starts to snowball.”
“We’re going to have to make some adjustments, make some changes,” Kerr added. “We’ve had nine games now. We’ve had a decent look at combinations. So it’s time to try something different. Everybody’s going to get a chance to play. We’ve got guys who are dying to get on the floor. We’ve gotta find combinations that click. So we’ll discuss that as a staff and figure that out.”
We know better than to count out the Dubs after just a few weeks of the season. But their evident defensive struggles and poor interior shooting may not be solved unless they make a trade or two.
