The Golden State Warriors won their fifth preseason game against the Lakers before the season starts on 20th October, but at what cost? The team committed 20 turnovers and made just about 39% of their shots. Afterwards, coach Steve Kerr looked clearly concerned.
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“We’re not anywhere close to where we want to be,” Kerr admitted bluntly in a conversation with reporters after the game. “But we are working on the right things, we have a clear vision, the players are great guys, they’re committed, they want to do well. But our execution is just scattered at this point.”
The Warriors took their win against the Lakers at 101-89. Is that good? Well, winning is always better than losing, but is it good enough? Now that’s a whole different ball game.
The team is 3-2 this preseason, and while their performance seems acceptable on paper, a deeper flaw haunts the team. Kerr is trying to work around a bunch of injuries, and star Steph Curry can only carry so much.
The team lags behind offensively. They committed most of their turnovers in the first half. The result: Lakers sped past the Warriors at 63-50. It was in the second half that they were able to slowly close the gap and eventually take the win. It wasn’t clean, and it wasn’t what coach Steve Kerr may want from the team.
“Tonight was just a lack of flow, a lack of recognition of what we’re trying to do after made baskets, offensively,” Kerr said, explaining the team’s performance against the Lakers.
“And that’s the whole thing we’re trying to teach, this year, is – getting to consistent spots, making consistent cuts, getting away from the random stuff that we’ve run in the past. And so, we have to be more organized. And we’re going to keep demanding it.”
The Warriors struggle in the transition. Once the basket is made, the team scatters, appears unorganized, lacking coordination. It also doesn’t help that a lot of the team’s vital pieces are missing.
Steph Curry is still the leading force you want him to be. However, the starting lineup is different. Coach Kerr decided to rest Draymond Green so he can be ready for the regular season matches.
Furthermore, Kristaps Porzingis is absent altogether. The Latvian player is suffering from a mysterious illness that has kept him out of action for good. The good news is that he was reportedly at the Golden State Warriors’ facility as the match went on.
The medical team will be consulted before the Warriors announce a real update on Porzingis. Many expect him to miss the first few games of the regular season. In his absence, the natural choice starter should be Al Horford. However, he did not travel to Las Vegas for the preseason game against the Lakers.
The player is expected to directly participate in the preseason finale against the Portland Trail Blazers. Instead, Charles Bassey was part of the starting lineup. He posted eight points, one assist, and 12 rebounds against the Lakers.
Bassey is a rare choice, having started only three regular-season games in his career. Naturally, working things out around the makeshift starting lineup produced issues.
“It is what it is,” Steve Kerr said when asked about his frustration. He also admitted that he thinks that things will fall into place but for now, the Golden State Warriors are not quite “there yet”.