Golden State Warriors’ biggest issues badly exposed by struggling Bulls
If you’re an advocate for the Golden State Warriors not making a move to their roster in the coming weeks, then you may have wanted to turn away from the team’s loss to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
Nikola Vucevic torched the Warriors for an equal career-high 43 points which, combined with a disastrous 23 turnovers, succumbed Golden State to another road loss in their floundering 2022-23 season.
Chicago Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic badly exposed the Golden State Warriors’ need for greater frontcourt depth on Sunday at the United Center.
The Bulls entered the game with a disappointing 19-24 record, having lost their last three games included defeats against the young Oklahoma City Thunder and an underwhelming Washington Wizards.
The sweet-shooting Vucevic caught out a dropping Kevon Looney on multiple occasions from beyond the arc, but the Warriors’ starting center was largely competitive against the 12-year veteran.
Golden State was a +5 in Looney’s minutes, quite a remarkable fact given Vucevic’s explosion amid Chicago’s 14-point win. The Warriors’ major issue came in Draymond Green’s minutes as the backup center, a spot he’s been forced to fill more often in the absences of JaMychal Green and James Wiseman.
Green often finds himself undersized at the five and handles usually handles it with aplomb, but Sunday saw him simply too small for Vucevic and his soft touch around the basket. The Montenegrin was 13-for-21 (62%) from inside the arc, while Green was a -24 in his 32 minutes.
The Warriors’ egregious turnovers can be controlled by their own greater concentration and attention to detail, but preventing big scoring nights from opposing bigs may prove a harder task to overcome. The return of Green and Wiseman will undoubtedly help to some degree, yet there remains genuine question marks on their ability to contribute regardless.
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Looney and Green can hold down the fort for a playoff run, they showed that last season with sporadic minutes from Nemanja Bjelica. But asking them to do it for almost an entire season? That’s a much bigger issue for the Warriors to try and reconcile with.