Reason the Warriors aren’t a true contender: Offensive firepower
The Golden State Warriors do not rank in the top 15 in points per game. That’s brutal for a team that just a few years ago featured two of the best scorers in modern-NBA history.
While Curry is still on the team, the loss of Kevin Durant has brutally crushed their offense. Draymond Green’s inexcusable disappearance of his three-point shooting has also been something to note.
The Warriors knew they weren’t going to be the same without Durant, but they’ve needed players like Kelly Oubre Jr. and Eric Paschall to step up.
Oubre Jr. hasn’t played quite at the level he was a season ago. The young guard was well over 18 points per game and is now under 16. As for Paschall, he’s stepped up, but as the leader for the bench, they need him to match where he was last year.
Others players like Mychal Mulder and Kent Bazemore have seemingly disappeared lately. That said, unless those players come to life in a big way, this team is going to continue to fall short of their opponent.