Are the Golden State Warriors actually struggling?

The Golden State Warriors haven’t exactly been on fire, but are they truly as vulnerable as the media is making it seem?

If you only listened to the media, you would think that the Golden State Warriors are playing way below expectations. The way the narrative has been spun, it seems as if its a done deal that the Warriors will not be winning another championship this season. But, that just isn’t the case.

The Warriors are actually playing at an elite level. With a 29-14 record, the Dubs are tied as the third most winningest team in the league. They also have the third highest margin of victory, winning each game by an average of 5.7 points.

Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are both having career seasons. Curry is averaging close to a career high in points with 29.4 a game. Furthermore, he is hitting an NBA-record 5.2 3-pointers a game and should break the single-season 3-point record for the fourth time in his career.

Meanwhile, Durant is putting up 28.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. He has shot a very efficient 50.6 percent from the field despite going only 37.1 percent from the 3-point line.

The reason that everyone is freaking out about the current state of the Warriors is that of a few unfortunate stretches. See, Golden State has dealt with something that they have never had to deal with before. This issue is a lack of depth.

For the first time since their championship run began, the Warriors do not have a deep rotation. This means that when a few players get injured, the bench quickly begins to thin and suddenly, the team no longer looks as strong as they once were.

Fittingly, injuries to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green forced the Warriors to be thrown into the fire faster than they would have liked. Not to mention an injury to their starting center, Damian Jones, and the fact that DeMarcus Cousins has yet to make his debut.

These injuries are the key to explaining why the Warriors have looked vulnerable in some instances throughout this season. However, once the team regains their health and gets ready for the playoffs, they will once again reign terror over the league.