3 Stats that summarize Golden State Warriors’ season

The Golden State Warriors have had a shaky start to the season and these three stats summarize what we’ve seen so far.

It’s really difficult to gauge just how good the Golden State Warriors are. After all, they’ve scratched and clawed their way to a 5-4 record, with most of their losses coming in blowout fashion. While they look strong at times – it’s hard to determine if their success is sustainable.

Is a championship run in the cards for this team? We don’t know yet. But, these three stats give us a closer look into what has been happening this season – and how the team should move forward.

Draymond Green’s Impact

Let’s start with Draymond Green. The former Defensive Player of the Year entered the season with lofty expectations after many had written him off. And, after two lackluster regular seasons, we can’t blame the mainstream media and fans to believe Green might have taken a step back.

But, the decline just isn’t here yet for Green. He’s still a mastermind on both ends of the floor and his leadership has transformed the Dubs’ plan of attack.

Green is scoring fewer than 3 points a night, but he has dished out an average of 5.2 assists per game. As one of the only current players familiar with the Warriors’ system, having him on the court to direct traffic has made all the difference.

In the first five games without Green (we are counting his first game back in which he played just 17 minutes) the Warriors scored an average of 108.2 points per game. With Green back, they are now producing 122.5 points.

There is a 5 point difference in Net Rating and Defensive Rating with Green off the court but it doesn’t take advanced analytics to see the Warriors are a better team with Draymond available to play.

Stephen Curry’s Usage

One of the bigger concerns the Warriors are dealing with is how to win games without absolutely being carried by Stephen Curry.

The Dubs are 5-0 when Curry scores 30+ points, and 0-4 when Curry scores below that threshold. He single-handedly led a comeback over the LA Clippers where he scored 19 points in the 3rd quarter and finished with 38 and 11 assists.

Curry is the driving force behind everything the Dubs do on offense. When no one else can create a shot, Curry is left to fend off double and triple teams to find a way to score the ball. He’s posting a usage rate of 31.9 – the highest mark of his career

While it’s certainly a safe bet letting Curry lead you to victory, we have to wonder how sustainable this is – and if the Dubs can ride his lightning all the way to a meaningful postseason run. It feels more likely the Warriors will need someone else to step in and take some of the load off Curry’s shoulders.

3-Point Shooting Woes

The story of the season so far has been the Golden State Warriors’ struggles from behind the 3-point line. What was once the epitome of efficient shooting – the Dubs now rank 19th in 3-point percentage.

More shockingly, the team would rank 4th in this category if Kelly Oubre Jr. hadn’t attempted a single 3-pointer this season. This is because Oubre is currently shooting just 13.3 percent on his 45 total attempts. A career 32.2 percent shooter, this a low mark even by his standards – and it’s concerning that he isn’t beginning to trend upwards yet through nine games.

Still, we have to assume Oubre begins hitting shots at a higher rate. And, it’s encouraging to see players like Kent Bazemore, Eric Paschall and Andrew Wiggins find a bit of consistency from deep.

Nonetheless, until the supporting cast can reliably knock down 3-pointers, the Warriors are going to struggle.