Reigning champs Golden State Warriors have suffered their fourth loss of the season, going down to the Detroit Pistons 128-114 and recording their second consecutive loss on the road on Sunday.
The Warriors rank 20th in offensive rating and 23rd in defensive rating following the defeat, which comes as no surprise considering they sent Detroit to the line for an extraordinary 38 free throw attempts.
One shining light was rising star Jordan Poole, who turned the game into a Poole party in the third quarter when the Warriors were down by 19 points, he rallied hard to score 12 points in 52 seconds.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr believes there is a lack of connectedness and purpose on the court and there appears to be no urgency by the players to address the issues plaguing the team.
“I always talk about the game being connected and it feels like we’re putting ourselves in some tough spots offensively and then that translates to defense and we’re late either in transitions or rotations and we just can’t stop fouling,” Kerr said.
“There needs to be a sense as a team, as a group, that here’s what we’re trying to do: we’re trying to string together good offensive possessions and then get back defensively, defend without fouling and do that over and over and over again, but right now it’s just a pickup game.
“These games can change like that – it’s literally a possession or two and the momentum can swing and you have to be aware of that as a team and that’s what we have to get to and we will.”
Forward Draymond Green echoed Kerr’s sentiments after the game: “We definitely got to find a sense of urgency that’s not there,” Green said. “It’s showing in the results.”
“The reality is you can’t correct every issue,” Green said. “For us, it’s pinpointing the things that are really hurting us. Some things that are hurting us, won’t beat you. So you don’t worry as much about those. But things that are hurting us and actually beating us, we need to pinpoint exactly what that is.”
The Dubs are by no means the same team they were last season. Of course they have their big three who have won the big four in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Green.
They also have newcomers Donte DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green and with the ever-changing roles of Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman, it’s a whole different combination on the floor at any given time.
“We just haven’t found our footing, we haven’t found our identity yet so we’ll work at it,” Kerr said.
“It takes a little time. We’ll get there. I am very confident in that. But our guys need to come together and there needs to be a sense of purpose. We have to figure out what that means.”
The Warriors road trip continues on Tuesday and it doesn’t get any easier when they face the Miami Heat, who will also be looking to redeem themselves after a loss to the Sacramento Kings.