The Golden State Warriors have looked like one of the best teams in the NBA in the early going. They have gotten off to a hot start with a 4-1 record, playing efficient basketball on both ends of the court.
Golden State is currently 10th in the NBA in offensive rating and sixth in defensive, equaling out to an overall net rating of +8.9, which is fifth in the league. Head coach Steve Kerr has done a great job of making everyone on the roster comfortable with their roles, as some major changes were made.
Chris Paul was acquired from the Washington Wizards in a big offseason trade and has taken to his role as sixth man nicely. His playmaking ability has helped make life easier for everyone else as the Warriors are witnessing what looks like breakouts from Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody as rotation regulars.
In the opinion of Draymond Green, it has been an improvement in the chemistry department that has led to a fast start. Following Klay Thompson’s buzzer-beating jumper against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night, Green revealed that the joy is back with the franchise after a tough 2022-23 campaign.
“Last year we had an awful team as far as chemistry goes,” Green said. “It was hard to come to work. Not fun. So this year you see the joy on guys’ faces when they come into the building. You got guys staying over two to three hours just talking. Getting two to three hours early just to be here. You start to see that, and you’re like, ‘OK, this is a group that likes to be together.'”
There are a few players from last season’s rotation that moved on to other NBA teams this offseason, such as Donte DiVincenzo, Ty Jerome and JaMychal Green. But, the biggest change was Jordan Poole, who was part of the trade to acquire Paul.
What Green said seems like a shot at his former teammate, the one he got into an altercation with at practice and punched. Their relationship was never mended, as Green reportedly refused to go to dinner with Poole to smooth things over.
With their relationship beyond repair, a change had to be made. Their fight at practice was a dark cloud over the franchise for the entire season, which Stephen Curry made mention of after the Kings game. But, the entire aura has changed this season as the team’s chemistry is back on the rise.
“You understand the vibe of what happened last year. … The time we got to spend together as a group was huge,” Curry said. “We could get the elephants out of the room of [Paul] joining the team, some other vets that we had coming in. … It helped to have some familiarity with everybody’s personalities and motivations going into the year.”
While everyone within the organization has said all of the right things about the move, it is easy to read between the lines. If the Warriors wanted to get back to the level they have become accustomed to being at, a change had to be made and Poole is who they opted to move on from.
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