Heading into their Christmas Day showdown against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Golden State Warriors sit at 11th in the Western Conference with a 15-18 record. The defending champs have struggled defensively early in the season, ranking just 25th in defensive rating after being elite on that end of the floor last season. To make matters worse, Stephen Curry recently suffered a shoulder injury that will sideline him for at least another month.
After a 1-5 skid on their last road trip, Draymond Green spoke bluntly about the current state of the team. Via ESPN:
“Right now, I think we are very fragile,” Green said after Friday’s practice. “You start going through these things and then you start believing them. Once you start believing them, it becomes who you are. The only way to break them is by being mentally tough.”
Golden State have tried to replace the veteran talent they lost in the offseason with their brigade of young players, but the results so far have been mixed. Moses Moody has taken a step sideways instead of forward. James Wiseman still looks a ways away from being a rotation player. And although Jonathan Kuminga shows flashes, he still doesn’t provide the consistency necessary for title contention. While the Warriors have tended to be pretty good when their starting five have been on the floor, they have a serious lack of depth that will need to be figured out sooner rather than later, particularly with Curry sidelined.
