Since Thompson's comeback, the Warriors' cries for the title seem to be getting lower and lower. After the Warriors have lost many games in a row, they finally face the weak Lakers today, and they are now 4 wins away from the Suns in the West. From the beginning of the season all the way to the current series of losses, what is wrong with the Warriors?
After Green's return this season, the Warriors jumped to the first place in the league by relying on the overall smooth style of play. But since Green was injured, the Warriors' performance has not been as stable as before. Even Thompson's comeback will not change the embarrassment faced by the Warriors' grandson. In the three games before facing the Lakers today, the Warriors lost a total of 41 rebounds to their opponents. And in the crucial offensive rebounds, opponents grabbed 45, while the Warriors only took 15. The Warriors rebounding explosion has become a common problem for teams. Therefore, reinforcing the interior line has become an urgent problem for the Warriors.
Before Green was injured, the Warriors' level of competition was clearly among the top of the league. Green is average offensive, but his organizational skills and defensive counter-attacks are strong. In contrast, now the Warriors, there is only one Rooney desperately guarding the Warriors' weak inside line. Rooney is a hard-working blue-collar player, with a height of 2.06m and a weight of 108 kilograms, coupled with Rooney's 2.2m arm span, making Rooney an indispensable inside player in the Warriors rotation. Rooney has good physical fitness, a keen sense of rebounding and an excellent sense of conducting ball. Rooney acts as the Warriors' rim protector on the court, but his size is only suitable for the team's No. 4 position and has no low-post offensive ability. Rooney's sense of defense is outstanding, but the obvious disadvantage of lack of height will make the Warriors' interior line often in a state of stretching.
When Rooney rests, the Warriors' No. 5 players can only be guarded by Kugamin and Bjelica. Although he has a positive defensive attitude, after all, he only has the shape of a small forward, how can he effectively guard the Warriors' strong interior line? The Warriors as a whole can only rely on constantly shrinking the defense and pinching the inside to make up for the lack of the No. 5 position. But doing so would give opponents plenty of three-point shots, and once the opponent's outside line opens, the Warriors are likely to lose the game by a big score. The 26-point defeat to the Jazz fully proves the weakness of the Warriors' interior line. But the Warriors, the pioneer of the small ball, never seem to take the interior seriously.
Because Curry and Thompson are historical shooters, and then strengthen Green's defense and organization, this allows the Warriors to play the speed, space, and outside shooting to the extreme. Because of the strong mobility + three-point accuracy, the Warriors can achieve the best record in history of 73 wins and 9 losses. Coupled with the addition of Durant later, the healthy Warriors in those years can be described as the internal candidate for the championship. Because their front line is too strong, strong enough to ignore the weakness of their inner line. But basketball players are flesh and blood after all, and the sudden invasion of injuries not only destroyed the Warriors' desire to win three consecutive championships, but also laid hidden dangers for the Warriors' future development. Durant's departure, Thompson's season reimbursement, and Green's succession of injuries have gradually withdrawn the Warriors from chasing the championship. And it also exposed the problem of the Warriors' weak Position no. 5.
The Warriors' only interior players now have Dream Green, Rooney, and Wiseman. Wiseman and Green missed the game for a long time due to injury. Although Rooney was technically rough, he always played on the court with diligence and diligence. He's pretty good at civilian center. However, if it appears in the internal line of high-intensity confrontation for a long time, Rooney's physical health will inevitably light up red. With Rooney unharmed, the Warriors can only hope for the comeback of Green and Wiseman to ease the pressure on the inside. Green has won the championship and the defensive player of the year, and his defensive experience and defensive ability are bound to greatly improve the Warriors' defensive intensity. But Green is now 32 years old and has been injured for years. His defensive role after his comeback certainly cannot be compared with that of the past.
As for Wiseman, he may be the inside player that the Warriors really pinned their hopes on. Wiseman, as the 2020 leaderboard, has a height of 2.16m and a weight of 110 kilograms, which is just qualified for the team's No. 5 position. Wiseman is tall and agile, has a soft feel and good steps. His rim and cap-and-cap abilities are also outstanding. After his comeback, he plays next to the Splash Brothers and will have the most coveted space environment of the No. 5 of this era. If Wiseman has good efficiency on both offensive and defensive ends, it is bound to help the Warriors to a higher level.
But Wiseman's rookie performance did not meet the expectations of fans, and in the case of Thompson's season reimbursement and Curry's successive rotations, Wiseman averaged only 11.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game, and 1.5 turnovers. Wiseman has almost all the problems that rookies tend to make: too much love to express himself, too easy to be shaken up, poor quality of blocking, low offensive efficiency and other shortcomings. But Wiseman was young and talented. Given a certain number of players and enough playing time, Wiseman can become the core figure of the Warriors in the post-Curry era.
It's just that what the Warriors need most at the moment is a super frame blue-collar player who averages 8+8 per game, can Wiseman really accept this role after his comeback? Everything is still unknown. So the Warriors' priority now is to find a top framer like McGee and Biyombo. But until the trade deadline, the Warriors did not make some reinforcements to the existing lineup. The warriors' lack of height inside the line has not been effectively solved. In the long run, it is bound to affect the development of the Warriors in the future. If the playoffs meet a strong team with a significant height inside the Jazz and the Suns, the Warriors' winning percentage will be greatly reduced?
Curry is 33 years old, and Thompson and Green are both 32 years old. The Warriors' three cores are no longer young. The Warriors' winning window was nearly two or three years ago. If the Warriors don't win the championship in the last two years, their next championship will be far away.
Offseason, the warriors brought in new signings and the team's style of play matching very well. Belitsa's shots, responses, and passes are simply tailor-made for the Warriors. Potter's projection ability also opens up space for the Warriors to a certain extent. The addition of Iguodala makes the attack and defense of the entire team more secure. Poole has improved significantly and has been able to take over the team's offensive organization banner after Curry's downfall. The successive outbursts of Lee and Little Payton also gave us unexpected surprises. If the team does not have a good blue-collar escort, I am afraid that the Warriors will not go far this season. Everyone expects success, but success tends to favor those who plan ahead. I hope that the Warriors can bring us more exciting games next.