The Golden State Warriors are top-heavy, and it might be a weakness other teams are going to be able to exploit this season.
It’s honestly pretty obvious. At least for the early season, the Golden State Warriors will struggle to maintain leads, being forced to stagger the breaks with their superstars due to either injury or just a lack of talent on the second unit.
Durant and Curry are the team’s main offensive weapons, and everyone else hasn’t been too helpful, including Klay Thompson. Thompson has scored just 26 points in the Dubs first two games and has shot under 40% from the field to start the season.
It’s not just Thompson though. Outside of Thompson, Durant and Curry, the Dubs don’t have a player that averaged over eight points per game. Golden State is currently getting well over 50% of their production from their two superstars.
Quite a bit of their lost production can be attributed to injury which is understandable. Both DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Iguodala have been injured to start the season. While Iguodala should return within the week, Cousins is out till at least the new year.
Without those two, the Dubs second unit leaves a ton to be desired.
More from Blue Man Hoop
- 3x champion may come to regret forgoing Golden State Warriors reunion
- Golden State Warriors: History shows USA may need Stephen Curry for more than the Olympics
- 7 players Golden State Warriors might replace Klay Thompson with by the trade deadline
- Golden State Warriors villain pours on more pain to end USA’s World Cup
- Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry continues philanthropic efforts off the court
With just 23 points per game, with just two seasons under the belt, the Dubs have the league’s lowest bench points per game. Kevon Looney and Shaun Livingston have led the way, scoring a combined 28 points through the first two games.
They need more than that though. Last season, the Dubs second unit was led by Nick Young, David West and Quinn Cook scoring-wise. Only one of those, Quinn Cook, returned. The Dubs also lost Patrick McCaw as his contract situation is still being disputed.
This puts major minutes on their superstars.
In the postseason that might not be a glaring issue, but until then, overplaying their stars might not be a great idea. For starters, injury could eventually set in, especially with Stephen Curry who has an extensive injury history.
Both Curry and Durant have played over 36 minutes per game. All of the Dubs core four have played over 33 minutes per game, not a good sign. However, to be fair, they have played two of the West’s top teams, so hopefully, this tough competition will subside and the Dubs dominating style of play will help limit those minutes.
The Golden State Warriors need to understand their strengths and weaknesses. And, if this is going to be a problem moving forward, why not reach out to Nick Young or another free agent to help provide that depth?
The Dubs might eventually have to do something, and that’d be the move.