The Golden State Warriors are leaning heavily on veteran experience, leadership and IQ, but sometimes that can only take you so far which was painfully evident on Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
They looked old and slow. That's the painful reality that was on display against the reigning champions, with the Warriors unable to penetrate the league's best defense while equally struggling with the Thunder's length and athleticism on the other end of the floor.
Warriors veterans were exposed against the Thunder on Tuesday
The much-celebrated veteran core of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green had little to no impact at Paycom Center, combining for just 29 points on 20 shots in the 126-102 defeat to the hosts.
Curry looked rusty in his return from a three-game absence due to illness, shooting just 4-of-13 from the floor for 11 points while also picking up five fouls on the other end in less than 20 minutes. While it would be stupid to write Curry off, his poor shooting in the games even before his illness is of rising concern as Golden State move to 6-6 on the season.
Green's defense over the past seven games has also taken a dive, with head coach Steve Kerr confirming before the game that the veteran forward is "banged up" and could miss Wednesday's second night of a back-to-back against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Warriors have ranked 11th on defense over the past seven games, and now sit ninth on the season. While that doesn't sound too bad, it's a significant fall given they were first on that end of the floor after last season's All-Star break, with Green playing a significant role as he surged up to finish third in Defensive Player of the Year.
Within the past week, Curry has missed three games, Butler missed brief time due to lower back soreness, and now Green is banged up despite resting from last Wednesday's loss to the Sacramento Kings.
Perhaps there's elements of misfortune here, but it might also be what happens for older aging teams who have so many miles on their legs. Combine that with Al Horford not playing both sides of back-to-backs, and the Warriors are already struggling to find rhythm just 12 games into the season.
Golden State's young players are solid rotation members, but they're evidently not good enough to take over when the veterans are seemingly exhausted. The likes of Curry, Butler and Green may still be good enough to produce their best on occasion, but whether they can do it regularly over an arduous 82-game season is now a real concern that may be impossible to rectify.