Whether it’s struggles on the court, such as blowing big leads or being unable to finish close games, or tensions off the court, like veteran Draymond Green’s suspension, the Golden State Warriors are struggling this season.
With Green’s absence, and other veterans like Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson failing to perform at their highest level on the court, much of the responsibility has fallen on star point guard Stephen Curry.
Carrying the load is nothing new for Curry, who has been the face of Golden State’s franchise for the last decade, and he’s not one to complain about it, either.
“I don’t need no sympathy,” Curry said, per The Athletic.
Whether Curry will admit it or not, the toll is showing through in his on-court performance, especially in the last two games after veteran point guard Chris Paul suffered a fracture in his left hand.
Curry is still averaging 26.7 points per game (10th in the league), but has shown inconsistencies on offense for about the last month, starting with a seven-point performance against the Portland Trailblazers on Dec. 17.
“I think we’ve thrown a ton on his shoulders,” coach Steve Kerr said. “The burden that Steph Curry has on him for this franchise is unfair. … Draymond is the vocal leader of the team, obviously. He and Steph have kind of been co-captaining the leadership with our group for a decade.
“So without Draymond here, that adds a lot more to Steph’s plate. We’re trying to integrate a lot of young players. Steph has a very unique style. It’s the play after the play that matters with Steph. And we’ve put him in some combinations where the play after the play isn’t happening. And that’s frustrating for him.”
The Warriors finished a seven game home-stand with a 36-point loss to the New Orleans Pelicans to bring their record to 2-5 in that span. Curry scored 15 points on 30.8% shooting from the field, but played just 25 minutes in the loss, sitting out the entire fourth quarter due to the insurmountable deficit.
Prior to the New Orleans defeat, Curry scored just nine points on 14.3% shooting in a 133-118 loss to the Toronto Raptors.
Curry has alluded to the need to change things, as it’s clear the current formula isn’t working and, to put it in his words, expecting a different result without change is the “definition of insanity.”
“Yes,” Curry said when asked whether he thinks the Warriors’ philosophy is still viable. “But, it may require some tweaks based on personnel and the level of urgency and the — quote, unquote — panic meter. You can’t keep doing the same things and expect things to miraculously change.”
There have been rumors starting to circulate about potential trade moves, and it has been reported that Golden State has an “everyone but Curry” mindset when it comes to who they are willing to use in a trade.
Paul is out four to six weeks, and Green is still working his way back to game condition after being reinstated from his suspension. Even with the two veterans back on the court, Golden State is expected to make some moves ahead of the Feb. 8 deadline.
Heading into Friday night’s matchup with the Chicago Bulls, the Warriors are 17-20 and in 12th place in the Western Conference.