Warriors’ defense were fooled multiple times by the Thunder — should it be shame on them?

In their six games at Chase Center this season, the Golden State Warriors’ opponents have been shooting a staggering 42.7% (94-of-220) from behind the three-point line. It’s an abnormally high percentage, and it’s even more apparent with the Oklahoma City Thunder’s recent performance against the Warriors. The Thunder managed to sink a whopping 19-of-32 threes— an astonishing 59.4% success rate.

If we exclude the Thunder’s performance, Warriors’ opponents are still shooting at a 39.9% rate from three at Chase Center, ranking Golden State 27th in terms of opponent three-point accuracy with garbage time removed, according to Cleaning The Glass.

This streak of extraordinarily high three-point shooting from opponents seems like sheer luck. Even players with questionable outside shooting abilities have been making jumpers, leaving the Warriors defense helpless. There’s been speculation about the Warriors’ tendency to leave certain players open, hoping for the best, but they’ve often been unlucky.

One example is Josh Giddey, who has been posting career-lows in both three-point attempt rate and percentage. Despite typically being left wide open due to his weak outside shooting, Giddey was able to capitalize on this opportunity, even though his overall shooting stats aren’t impressive. The Warriors’ decision-making in these scenarios wasn’t necessarily bad, given the Thunder’s offensive strategies and players’ shooting tendencies.

However, it’s evident that the gamble hasn’t always paid off for the Warriors. For example, in situations that should have been easily defended, players like Isaiah Joe, who had been shooting 41% from three prior to the game, were making perfect 7-of-7 shots from beyond the arc.

There’s an underlying issue in the Warriors’ defensive strategy that has led to many of these shooting opportunities. Whether it’s miscommunications on defensive assignments or simple mistakes, it’s clear that the team isn’t performing at its best defensively.

With key players like Draymond Green and Steph Curry sidelined, the Warriors have undoubtedly faced significant challenges. However, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that these losses can’t excuse fundamental mistakes in their gameplay. The Warriors must address these issues if they want to avoid falling even deeper into their current slump.

Facing the Thunder once again, the Warriors have a significant amount of film to analyze and errors to rectify. They’ll need to make critical improvements in their defense to turn things around.

Reference

Emily Turner

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