Not even the Steph Curry-led Warriors can depend on a single player to win every game in the NBA.
Curry hasn’t accomplished Golden State’s four NBA titles and more than a decade of dominance by himself, but he has been a major contributor. Longtime teammates Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and, at one point, future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant, have stood by his side. He has backup at all times.
This season, though, it hasn’t always felt that way.
Warriors center Dario Šarić is the only player to score 20 points in a game this season aside from Curry. Following Golden State’s 116-110 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Chase Center on Sunday.
“No question, we need some scoring and some playmaking from elsewhere,” Kerr stated. “We must never stop working. From there, we’ll see where that leads.”
Along with Thompson, Curry is accustomed to being the defensive focal point of the opposition and has seen nearly every angle thrown at him by opponents. But Curry is aware that the Warriors must change their offensive approach given how badly Thompson and forward Andrew Wiggins have performed thus far in the season.
Curry remarked after the game, “There’s always been an approach of guarding us.” “You’ve known for years where the focus will be—trying to pick me apart in a pick-and-roll or holding tight to Klay when he’s not getting it off of pindown, or whatever the situation may be. As a result, we must modify. It is not possible to keep doing the same thing and hope for different outcomes.
However, it’s not fear or anything. All we need to do is trust that we can produce quality shots with our rotations and combinations by becoming a little more strategic and intelligent in our shot-making process. In terms of creating, it does seem like everything is hard to come by.
Although he isn’t always counted on to be a high scorer, Green is the Warriors’ offensive facilitator. Nevertheless, the seasoned forward issued a strong challenge and appeal to both himself and his teammates.
“We need to take action,” said Green. “You get paid and players get credit when you play well, right? It’s the division we play in. When you perform well, you receive recognition, compensation, All-Star selections, and inclusion on NBA defensive and offensive teams. This item. That item. When you play poorly, you also have to f—ing accept responsibility. We can come up and make a bunch of finger gestures.
The Warriors (6-5) had a quick start but have since cooled off. Golden State has dropped three straight games and is searching for answers offensively.
Tuesday at Chase Center against the same Timberwolves team will be their next test. On Thursday and Saturday, they will play the up-and-coming Oklahoma City Thunder back-to-back.