The Golden State Warriors are playing 3-on-5 offensively

The issue

Now, it’s time to understand exactly what I mean when I say the Golden State Warriors have been playing 3-on-5 on the offensive end.

A few disturbing trends have begun to pop up recently for the Warriors. Opposing defenses are now choosing to completely ignore players such as Draymond Green, Kevon Looney and Andre Iguodala. Defenders are leaving them wide-open to shoot jump shots.

Despite their open looks, Iguodala and Green have been unable to connect from deep. For the season, Iggy is shooting 37.3 percent from the 3-point line while Green is even worse at 24.6 percent. Meanwhile, Looney is the least of anybody’s worries from beyond the arc, shooting only 14.3 percent from deep.

As a result, opposing defenses are able to cheat into better help position and make life hell for Golden States offense. Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are all having to deal with multiple defenders blowing up their plays and disrupting their flow.

This wouldn’t be a problem if it wasn’t for the fact that Looney, Green and Iguodala are all crucial members to the team. The Warriors can’t afford to keep all three of them off of the court because they simply don’t have anyone to replace them with.

If the Warriors want to reach their full offensive potential, something needs to change. Realistically, the only option the team has is to hope one of these guys starts hitting their shots. This lack of spacing is something completely foreign to the Warriors and it’s obviously taken a toll on their win column.

Hopefully, the debut of DeMarcus Cousins will be able to patch up this weakness if nothing else changes. Until then, the Warriors will continue to play 3-on-5.