For all the wrong reasons, the Golden State Warriors have been one of the biggest stories in basketball. Just months removed from winning an NBA Championship with mostly the same core they have now, the Dubs have opened the season at 6-9 and sit just 12th in the West after a month of play.
Needless to say, this is not the start the Warriors were hoping for, nor was it the start they were expecting. So where did it all go wrong?
On social media Wednesday night, sports analyst Bill Simmons pointed to one incident that may be the most responsible for the rough start.
“It’s almost like this Warriors season started with Draymond Green inexplicably punching Jordan Poole in the face.”
It’s almost like this Warriors season started with Draymond Green inexplicably punching Jordan Poole in the face.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 17, 2022
The incident in question happened a few days before the season started. After things got heated in practice, Draymond Green allegedly punched Jordan Poole, his own teammate, in the face.
The ordeal has been mostly forgotten about now, but it looks like the incident has left some lingering issues for the defending champs, who have been one of the worst teams in the West this year.
Steve Kerr Calls Out His Team After 7th Straight Road Loss
Whatever the reason, the Warriors have not been themselves this season. Even with Stephen Curry playing the best basketball of his career, it still hasn’t been enough to make up for the team’s deficiencies on defense and off the bench.
In response to their poor showing against a Suns team without Chris Paul, coach Kerr was forced to call out his guys.
“It’s a pickup game out there,” Kerr said. “There’s not execution at either end. No commitment to the group to get 3 stops in a row, to execute on offense…and it obviously starts with me, I’m the coach of the team. We lack collective grit. And when you don’t have grit, the game is easy for the other team. It’s a Drew League game. We’re playing a Drew League game. If things aren’t going well, somebody calls the group into the foul line, get everybody together and motivate the group,” Kerr continued. “All that stuff is missing right now, I saw a lot of hanging heads tonight, I think we’re feeling sorry for ourselves and nobody is going to feel sorry for us. So everyone can’t wait to play us and kick our ass.”
Punching your teammate in the face is certainly not the best way to start the season, especially when the one doing the punching is one of the main leaders of the team.
Still, there are problems that extend beyond just Draymond and Poole. Klay Thompson has been awful, their bench has been nonexistent, and James Wiseman has been so bad that he’s been demoted to the G-League.
We have seen before how much chemistry and morale can impact even the best of teams, and it goes without saying that the situation in that locker room isn’t the most ideal, and Simmons isn’t the only one to see that.
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