Charles Barkley did not bother easing into it. When Draymond Green joined Inside the NBA on Christmas Day, Barkely saw a chance to take a shot, and he went straight for the kill.
“We’re going to have you back here once the playoffs start.”
It was a clean line. It also landed hard.
Chuck was having fun with the idea that the Warriors might be watching the playoffs from their couch, instead of being part of it. And with the current standings, it was not an outrageous take.
The Warriors are stuck in neutral. With a 15-15 record, they are eighth in the West, which is good enough for a play-in spot. But they are already 4.5 games behind the sixth seed, which is the final guaranteed playoff spot. They have dropped five of the last 10 games, and they are still trying to figure out their identity.
The Warriors are an elite defensive team, as they are ranked third in the league in terms of defensive rating. The problem has been on the other end of the floor. Their offense is ranked 21st in terms of offensive rating. That’s highly unusual for a team that has been consistently elite for a decade.
They are ranked 22nd in points per game and ranked 26th in FG%. Plus, they are one of the worst teams in the league in giving away the ball, as they are ranked 28th. Lineups that once overwhelmed teams now struggle to score efficiently. And it only gets tougher from here as the Warriors have the eighth-toughest remaining schedule in the league.
Barkley’s timing was no accident. The West has sorted itself out faster than expected. The Thunder, Spurs, Nuggets, Lakers, Rockets, and Timberwolves all look more stable and more dangerous. These teams feel far more comfortable in their identities. The Warriors, meanwhile, feel caught between what they were and what they are becoming.
Draymond Green’s season is a big part of that tension. He has more turnovers and fouls than made field goals. His emotions are spilling over more often than his impact. For years, that chaos was productive. This season, it has too often been costly.
To be fair, writing the Warriors off completely would be premature. The play-in format gives them a path. Their defense alone will keep them competitive most nights. And if they sneak into a series, no one will be thrilled to see them.
But Barkley was not talking about fear. He was talking about reality.
