The Golden State Warriors cruised to their 29th win in 30 games Monday night against the Sacramento Kings, 122-103.
On paper, everything looked great for the Warriors, hitting 20 threes, dishing out 33 assists and grabbing 59 rebounds in a 19 point victory, but there was one category where this team continues to struggle: turnovers.
The Warriors committed 18 turnovers Monday night, which almost cost them the game in the second quarter. Everyone remembers the Stephen Curry–Omri Casspi three-point battle where both guys went absolutely bonkers in the quarter but it was the Warriors’ sloppy game that gave Casspi these opportunities. The Warriors committed four turnovers in the quarter after six in the first quarter.
The Kings already had confidence after the first quarter, leading the Warriors by two and continued that momentum into the second quarter. The Warriors were trying to make passes that were just not there. One of the biggest culprits was power forward, Draymond Green. Green had a team-high six turnovers, including five in the first half, and most of his giveaways were passes that were telegraphed or forced.
His lack of valuing the possession hurt his defensive game too. Green’s defensive assignment was Casspi and it did not go well for Green. Casspi hit six three-pointers in the quarter on his way to a 21 point quarter. If it wasn’t for Curry’s brilliance in the last three minutes of the half, the Warriors would have been down double digits at halftime.
Green cleaned up his act in the second half, only committing one turnover but the Warriors, as a team, have a huge issue with turnovers. The Warriors rank 26th in the league in this category and with the amount of injuries suddenly mounting up, it does not appear to be getting better anytime soon.
Most of the Warriors turnovers result from trying to make the spectacular play. Whether it is a behind-the-back dish from Curry or a lob pass from Green, the Warriors always look to make the spectacular play. The only problem with these plays are they are very difficult to convert at a high rate and sometimes the Warriors need to make the simple bounce or chest pass.
With all that, the Warriors should not do away with their flair and creativity because this is what makes them the most exciting team in the game. Instead they just need to pick their spots when to unleash their creativity and not try to make that one-handed or jump pass when it is not warranted.
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There is a way for the Warriors to cut down on their turnovers: force more turnovers. The Warriors only force about 15 per game and if they force more, it will get them more opportunities in transition where they absolutely thrive. When they are in transition, they have an advantage against the defense because usually, they have numbers and less opportunity for their opponent to steal the ball or force bad passes.
When the Warriors were at their best last season, they were forcing turnovers and killing their opponents in transition. It may be because this team may be a little bored with the regular season and interim head coach Luke Walton may not get on them like Steve Kerr did last season. But Coach Kerr is close to return and so is starting small forward, Harrison Barnes, one of the most unheralded players on this team. The addition of Barnes will allow the Warriors to play their devastating “small ball” lineup where the Warriors are at their best at both ends of the floor.
The Warriors will clean up their turnover problem for the simple reason that they have to in order to win another championship. They can’t be sloppy against the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers because those teams will take advantage of the Warriors’ mistakes, especially the Spurs. When they do this clean this up, this team will be even better, which is ridiculous since this team is already 29-1 on their way to becoming one of the best teams in NBA history.