If you're wondering how the Golden State Warriors would fare without Kevin Durant playing, worse would be a good answer. But besides the importance of Durant, the back-to-back losses show a fundamental flaw in the Warrior's brand of basketball.
Charles Barkley once famously said that jump shooting teams don't win championships in which the Golden State Warriors proved wrong in 2015. But that championship run was marred by lucky breaks and injuries against their opponents, most notably with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals. And despite the advantage, the Warriors still lost two games. Cleveland exposed flaws in their offensive system in 2015 and the absence of Kevin Durant now highlighted them even more.
The Golden State Warriors rely heavily on their outside shooting and quickness. But the team is lacking in other offensive options if the shots of both Steph Curry and Klay Thompson aren't falling. Kevin Durant's presence gives them a shooter who can score by driving to the basket and posting up smaller defenders both of which Klay and Steph can't do on a consistent basis.
The losses against the Wizards and the Bulls clearly indicate the Golden State Warriors' sole reliance on their two shooters who unfortunately had bad shooting nights. On the two losses, Curry shot 19 of 47 while Thompson shot a similar 10 of 42. Without Kevin Durant picking up the slack, the Warriors look like a mediocre team. Their sole dependence on jump shots and lack of a consistent inside scorer is what makes their system flawed.
The Golden State Warriors' brand of small ball basketball is a departure to the fundamentals of basketball. Difficult perimeter shots are favored over layups and inside shots of which have a better chance of falling. With Kevin Durant, the Warriors could usually get away with it. But once in a while, even the best have off nights and a consistent inside scorer could definitely help their chances.
The question now for the Golden State Warriors is how Kevin Durant recovers from his injury. The Warriors need Kevin Durant at 100% for their system to work otherwise, expect them to end the season without a title.
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