Warriors’ offensive woes highlighted by regression of depth players originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors entered the season confident that their revamped roster would allow them to ride the wave many attribute to Stephen Curry. They were finally equipped with enough shooters to join the 3-point revolution.

And for the first 15 games it seemed like they were right. They ranked fourth in the league in 3-point attempts (41.4 per game), 3-point makes and 3-point percentage (38.3).

Curry, who for so long had relied primarily on Klay Thompson as his scoring sidekick, now had a cavalry behind him.
Golden State’s cavalry is on the decline, its 3-point shooting showing a clear downward trend, and it’s one of several deficiencies that have been highlighted in recent games, including Saturday in Phoenix, where the Warriors posted a 113: 105 loss to the Suns.

“We didn’t play a bad game,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters at the Footprint Center. “Nine turnovers, 28 assists. We had a good game and the ball didn’t go in.

“But (the Suns) were great, 18 of 35 from 3. In the first half I thought our guys played pretty solid defense, rotating and flying around. But they distributed one, and they did a really good job of getting behind us a couple of times, getting our rotation guys in and then hitting threes behind the play.”

All true. Golden State’s defense was annihilated by the Suns’ dizzying ball movement in the first half, resulting in open 3-pointers on most of their possessions. The Suns were 14 of 21 from distance in the first half before falling to 4 of 14 as the Warriors brought more defensive intensity.

The Warriors’ inability to slow Phoenix in the first half was compounded by an offense that too often failed. With a shooting rate of 38.1 percent from the field, including 34.8 percent from distance, the Warriors only collected 49 points in the first half. Things got a little better in the second half (44 percent and 35.3 from deep), but the shooting that shined not long ago is looking dusty.

Through their first 13 games, the Warriors ranked second in the NBA in 3-point attempts (16.3 per game), fourth in 3-point attempts (41.3) and second in shooting percentage (39). ,0). Six players shot above the 40 percent hit rate required for elite status.

These numbers have dropped significantly in the last six games. Curry is shooting 43.8 percent from deep during that stretch and Andrew Wiggins is at 45.2 percent. Buddy Hield has declined slightly, rising 39.5 percent over the past six years. They hold up well.

It’s the other 3-point shooters who have fallen off a cliff: Draymond Green, who isn’t considered a shooter, has gone 6 of 27 in recent games. Jonathan Kuminga, whose offseason project was to work on his 3-point shooting, is 5 of 25 (20 percent). Those who are considered “shooters” have cooled down significantly. Moses Moody is 3 of 16 (18.8 percent), Brandin Podziemski is 5 of 25 (20 percent) and Lindy Waters is 9 of 31 (29 percent).

As the bench, which was enormous to begin with, took some nasty bumps, the Warriors suddenly no longer have a strong shooting group.

“Sometimes it can be difficult to find a rhythm when you don’t know what to expect from game to game,” Kevon Looney said. “But our guys are doing a good job of staying ready. Everyone knows he’ll get in at some point.

“(Kerr) will play against all of us at some point. I just have to be ready at this point in the game to provide a spark, bring energy and make plays.”

Golden State launches triples at about the same rate and ranks fourth in makes and attempts. But the accuracy has decreased. They are now in 10th place in percentage terms (37.6). To be more specific, the Warriors have shot 34.7 percent from distance in their last six games (17th in the league). They are 2-4 in that span, with the losses coming one after the other, most recently Saturday at Phoenix.

A problem arose early on: Curry made it the entire half of the field without a field goal. Nothing inside or outside the arc. The other problem is that his teammates weren’t able to catch up.

This could become a serious problem. One of the main reasons general manager Mike Dunleavy spent the summer chasing shooters is to take pressure off Curry. At the beginning it looked good. It worked brilliantly as the Warriors were 12-3.

Things have looked dangerous lately, which is why they are now 12-7.

“Yeah, I mean, he’s 36,” Kerr said of Curry. “It’s all part of getting older and managing your minutes and your body. Rick and his staff are the best in the world at what they do. We work on this together every day and we will get there.”

“Rick” is Rick Celebrini, vice president of health and performance at Golden State. Celebrini and his crew hope to massage Curry as he enters the twilight of his career.

The twilight looks much bleaker because the cavalry behind Steph is so silent.

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