The Warriors have struggled this year and around the NBA people are asking what’s their problem. Presently they are 9-11 having lost two heartbreakers in the last six days. If the playoffs were to begin today the Warriors would be out.
Just two seasons ago they were World Champions.
As we know in sports, players get old. Usually players peak by 32 and then begin a decline. To understand what’s the problem we need to first look at the age of their core players.
The Core Players
Steph Curry, he will be 36 in March. Klay Thompson, he will be 34 in February. Draymond Green, he will be 34 in March. Andrew Wiggins, he will be 29 in February. Chris Paul is 38. Kevon Looney, he will be 28 in February. As you can see the three core players appear to be past their peak form. Only Curry is still holding up as a star. To be fair Klay Thompson has suffered major injuries over the last few years and Andrew Wiggins has dealt with personal problems. Over the last two seasons Draymond Green has become a bigger distraction then he was previously.
The Warriors thought they had the answer a few years ago when they acquired three first round draft picks. They were the second overall pick in 2020. They had the 17th and 14th picks overall in the 2021 draft. Management, led by Bob Meyers, the President of Basketball Operations should be credited with making those deals. At the time it looked like the Warriors would continue to dominate the league while infusing new blood.
The Picks
The problem lies in who was selected with those picks. In 2020 with the second pick the Warriors selected, James Wiseman, a 6’10” center who was projected to be the rim protector the Warriors needed. Needless to say he was traded to Detroit where he is on their bench unable to be in the Detroit Pistons rotation.. The Warriors could have taken LaMelo Ball or Tyrese Haliburton in that draft.
In the 2021 draft the Warriors selected Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick and Moses Moody with the 14th pick. Both players have been decent but not nearly what the Warriors hoped for. The Warriors could have selected Franz Wagner who Orlando took with the pick right after Kuminga. They also could have taken Alperen Sengun with the pick. This was two picks after than Moody.
Nobody is saying the Warriors should have drafted all the players they missed on. However if the Warriors chose two out of, Halliburton, Ball, Wagner and Sengun they would be in a great place.
Looking Ahead
In June Meyers left his position as president of basketball operations. Meyers who is considered one of the best at what he does finished out his contract. He now is an announcer for ESPN. Did he see this coming?
Steve Kerr is in the last year of his contract and to date has not been extended though new GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. is confident he will return.
The Warriors are in a difficult spot. They may be able to squeeze a little more from their core but Father Time is undefeated. So what do you do, they could trade Thompson, Green and Wiggins and start over. If they did I would think Curry would want out too. Trading these players would also put the Warriors organization in an unfavorable light with agents, players and fans. It also would be the start of a long rebuild.
When you analyze the situation you can see what’s the problem. Players aging and poor drafting are the culprits. You can’t do much about aging but poor drafting could have been fixed.
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