The Golden State Warriors are sitting on top of the NBA with a 31-6 record, but the 6 losses they tallied have a deeper story to tell. Five of those losses came from playoff contenders, namely the Spurs, Cavs, Grizzlies and Rockets. The loss to the Cavs and Grizzlies both came after Golden State held a double digit lead late in the game. Which begs the question, did the Warriors lose more than what they gained when they signed Kevin Durant?
Before the season even started, all eyes were on Golden State as news came that Kevin Durant; a 7-time all-star, 4-time scoring champion, former rookie-of-the-year and former MVP, would sign with them. Of course, this would come at a price as Golden State would have to let go of key members from their championship roster such as Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut, Marreese Speights, Festuz Ezili, and Leandro Barbosa.
While the loss of Barnes and Barbosa were made up for with the offensive and defensive output of Durant, losing interior players certainly took a toll in the shaded area. The Spurs and Grizzlies have some of the most dominant interior players while the Cavs and Rockets have Lebron James and James Harden respectively, who are the some of the best rim attackers in the game. The lack of reliable interior players is certainly hurting the Warriors.
The Warriors are at -2.8 in rebounding in losses compared to wins with the biggest margin was when they gave up a +20 rebound advantage to the Spurs. They are also at -8.4 in assists and -13 in points, which shows how important a post player that rebounds, passes and can finish on open looks that Curry, Thompson and Durant get him would be for this team. (Stats acquired from the NBA official website)
This means either one of two things. Zaza Pachulia and JaVale McGee have to significantly improve their play or the Warrior's organization has to secure a big man who can do what Bogut did for the team. It is only about half-way through the season and a lot can change as we fans have come to see in the past. But if Golden State wants to improve their chances at winning the title again, they have to fine-tune the system they decided to go with when they signed Durant.
