Golden State Warriors’ biggest weakness is exploited again

When you are deadlocked in a race for the best record in the NBA as the Golden State Warriors are, it is hard to pinpoint specific weaknesses.

The Dubs rank first in Defensive Rating, fourth in Offensive Rating and first in Net Rating. This team is as fundamentally sound as they come and there are few, if any, ways to exploit their vulnerabilities.

That is… until they need a bucket late in the game.

The Golden State Warriors will continue to be vulnerable in the clutch until Klay Thompson returns to alleviate the pressure from Stephen Curry.

It’s an exploit we have seen too many times in recent years. The Warriors need a shot and the opposing defense is simply overloading on Stephen Curry — daring any other player to beat them.

On Tuesday night against the Denver Nuggets, it was Andre Iguodala who drew the final shot. A last-second prayer to send the game in overtime instead fell dramatically short as an air ball.

Prior to Iggy’s shot, Curry settled for a difficult step-back 3-pointer from near 30-feet. While I think we are all accustomed to seeing Curry drill this type of shot, it is not the look Steve Kerr had in mind.

It is worth mentioning that Otto Porter Jr. recently stepped up in a big way when the Warriors needed some crunch time scoring. He poured in 10 points in the final few minutes of their Christmas Day matchup and proved to be everything Golden State needed in that moment.

We also need to point out the Warriors are 11-5 this season in close games, the fourth best of any NBA team. Strength in Numbers is no joke and this current squad has done a much better job at answering the call to duty.

Regardless, the Dubs want the ball in Curry’s hands at the end of the game. He is their best scorer and allowing him to be neutralized in the game’s biggest moments is not a sustainable option.

Klay Thompson will save us all

There is an easy fix to this problem and that is the return of Klay Thompson. There is a reason teams didn’t blitz Curry as much in the past, and it’s because Thompson is just as much of a threat.

In the 2018-19 NBA season, Thompson shot above 46 percent in clutch moments. We are all familiar with Thompson’s timely heroics and even just having him on the floor will provide a safety valve for Curry to pull if he is in trouble.

Thompson is set to debut in January and his arrival will take a massive load of responsibility off of Curry’s shoulders. There won’t be much anyone can do to stop the Dubs once the Splash Brothers are reunited.