The 2023-24 NBA regular season has not been an especially strong start for the Golden State Warriors. They are currently 10-12 as head coach Steve Kerr is navigating some changes to the team’s rotation.
The core has remained the same, with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney all returning from last season’s team. Youngsters Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody remain in the mix as well, but there have already been some major adjustments that need to occur.
The biggest is fitting veteran Chris Paul into the mix. Paul was acquired from the Washington Wizards in one of the biggest trades of the NBA offseason and his role was undefined coming into the season. After starting every game in his professional career, Paul had to adjust to coming off the bench this season.
The results have been mixed, at best, as Paul is in the midst of the worst shooting season of his career. He has started seven out of 19 games he has appeared in and looks to be still adjusting to life in his new role.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Chris Paul, Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors Updates
Some of those starts have come courtesy of Green’s five-game suspension. The Warriors are also playing without Gary Payton II, who suffered a calf injury in late November and will be sidelined indefinitely.
In years past, the heroics of Curry would be enough to elevate the team, as he continually plays at an MVP level. However, he isn’t receiving the help he normally does from players such as Thompson or Wiggins, who have had their struggles at points this season.
With some kinks to iron out, there is only so much that Curry can do on his own to change the team’s fortunes on the court. Also working against Golden State has been the difficulty of their schedule.
As pointed out by Jason Timpf of Hoops Tonight on The Volume Sports, the Warriors have played only three of their 22 games thus far this season against teams under .500. Conversely, one of their rivals in the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns, have played more than half their schedule, 13 out of 22 games, against teams under the .500 mark.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Chris Paul, Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors Updates
That is a brutal stretch of games and one that any team would struggle to find consistent success against. Single games against the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers are their three games against an opponent under .500. Not surprisingly, the Warriors are 3-0 in those contests.
Despite the less-than-ideal schedule, the Warriors are only 1.5 games behind the New Orleans Pelicans, who are in 10th place in the Western Conference, for the final spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Brighter days are on the horizon as the schedule will eventually ease up and the players will get more comfortable with their roles on the court.
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