{"id":59029,"date":"2023-11-26T08:57:11","date_gmt":"2023-11-26T13:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=59029"},"modified":"2023-11-26T08:57:11","modified_gmt":"2023-11-26T13:57:11","slug":"golden-state-warriors-surviving-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/11\/26\/golden-state-warriors-surviving-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Golden State Warriors Surviving Amidst Plenty of Problems"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Even after taking down the San Antonio Spurs to move to 8-9 on the season and 2-1 in In-Season Tournament play, the past two weeks have been a whirlwind for the Golden State Warriors. They\u2019ve presented several reoccurring problems but still seem content to ride it out and trust their system. While a few bright spots have presented themselves, the last 11 games have not been encouraging for the organization.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Golden State Warriors Surviving Amidst Plenty of Problems<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Draymond Green<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Warriors head coach Steve Kerr: Draymond Green &#39;crossed&#39; line with chokehold, suspension is &#39;deserved&#39; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1N5UxcAOBS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/1N5UxcAOBS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FoxNews\/status\/1725944139060064759?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 18, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The question, \u201cDo the Warriors have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/greendr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Draymond Green<\/strong><\/a> problem?\u201d has been posed for years. Green\u2019s incident involving <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/goberru01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Rudy Gobert<\/strong><\/a> was just the latest of his complicated history of ferocity, resulting in his five-game suspension. Golden State went 2-3 through his absence and somehow kept afloat in the In-Season Tournament. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Sure, Green could come back and have a stretch where he plays out of his mind, showcasing elite defensive prowess and displaying the importance of his chemistry with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/curryst01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Stephen Curry<\/strong><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thompkl01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Klay Thompson<\/strong><\/a>. The fact remains that he\u2019s volatile. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Green was not the only one to blame in the Gobert chokehold, but he was the last person to step in and elevate the situation to a level that forced the league to take further action. While his desire to protect his teammates is good, it can\u2019t result in acts that affect the team in the future. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There\u2019s no question about Green\u2019s vitalness to the Warriors. Golden State could be in deep trouble if an extended suspension came in a playoff series <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/11\/09\/issue-golden-state-warriors-size-draymond-green-steve-kerr\/\" target=\"_self\">against a team with skilled bigs<\/a>. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Relationship to Officials<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This may be a slight overreaction to the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/paulch01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chris Paul<\/a><\/strong>-Scott Foster <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/11\/23\/what-should-the-nba-do-about-scott-foster-and-chris-paul\/\" target=\"_self\">situation<\/a>, but a combination of Paul and Green may not be a referee&#8217;s dream to officiate. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Chris Paul says the situation with Scott Foster is \u201cpersonal\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/nB0SG9nUzh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/nB0SG9nUzh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RTNBA\/status\/1727583858294464628?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 23, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Obviously, Paul and Foster have a deep, mutual hatred for one another on a personal level. The NBA should likely prevent Foster from officiating Warriors games, but that may not entirely prevent the issue. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Paul has a history of having something to say to officials and needing to get the last word, and Green has a history that was just detailed. A referee isn\u2019t going to look forward to a game where they have to officiate those two, and their patience will likely be very thin in that situation. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Andrew Wiggins<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It\u2019s no secret that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wiggian01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Andrew Wiggins<\/strong><\/a> hasn\u2019t quite looked like himself this season. The Wiggins that helped the Warriors to a 2022 title has emerged just once this season for a 31-point outburst in a loss to Oklahoma City. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Warriors\u2019 wing play has left lots to be desired this season when paired with Thompson&#8217;s struggles. Thompson, though, has displayed no lack of confidence, while Wiggins seems uncomfortable. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">His scoring is down to 11.8 points per game on 42\/26\/56 splits. He\u2019s also averaging less than half a steal and block per game, a step back from the elite wing defense we\u2019ve seen in the past. The Warriors cannot vault back into title contention with Wiggins playing like this. As the trade deadline and Thompson\u2019s expiring contract slowly approach, Wiggins could be the odd man out. It\u2019s difficult for Mike Dunleavy to justify the $24 million price tag for this type of production. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Warriors&#8217; Bright Spots<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The biggest positive for Golden State lately has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/saricda01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Dario Saric<\/strong><\/a>. On a minimum contract, Saric has carved out a huge role, providing size and skill off the bench. He\u2019s developed great chemistry with Paul in pick-and-roll\/pop situations, averaging 18.3 points in his last three games. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Along with Saric, a group of young guys have stepped up when necessary. Rookies <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/podzibr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Brandin Podziemski<\/strong><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jackstr02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Trayce Jackson-Davis<\/strong><\/a> have proved to be vital options in spurts when other guys need rest. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/moodymo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Moses Moody<\/strong><\/a> is also playing well, somewhat reminding the team what they miss in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/i\/iguodan01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Andre Iguodala<\/strong><\/a>. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Warriors seem to think they will be fine in the long run. The trade deadline is months away, so they can wait to see what moves need to be made. They still have to continue winning games to keep their head above water in a deep Western Conference. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Even after taking down the San Antonio Spurs to move to 8-9 on the season and 2-1 in In-Season Tournament play, the past two weeks have been a whirlwind for the Golden State Warriors. They\u2019ve presented several reoccurring problems but still seem content to ride it out and trust their system. While a few bright [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4610,"featured_media":59045,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,2,25,62],"tags":[212,229,268,409,70,48],"class_list":["post-59029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-featured","category-warriors","category-nba","tag-andrew-wiggins","tag-chris-paul","tag-dario-saric","tag-draymond-green","tag-klay-thompson","tag-stephen-curry"],"modified_by":"Kayla Fonte","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4610"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59029"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59029\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59045"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}