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Defending champions Golden State Warriors have endured embarrassing defeats at the start the season. Former NBA player Vince Carter believes teams are not afraid of the Warriors anymore.
Coming into the campaign, Golden State was considered one of the favorites for the 2023 title. Many believed they will defend their title but things could not have started in a worse fashion.
NBA panelists have tried to figure out what might be wrong with the Warriors and ascertain if it has gotten to the panic stage. According to Carter, no one is scared of the Warriors' current status as the reigning champs.
On "NBA Today," he said:
"Teams right now are not afraid of the Golden State Warriors. I mean they are the champions and that X is on your back. But it just seems like you don't, you know, when the Warriors usually come to town, there's some hesitancy from young guys or whatever. You don't see that. You're seeing guys going at the stars and they're just exposing their defense right now."
Although it is still early in the season, people are starting to lose confidence in the Warriors' title defense run.
The Golden State Warriors have lost five consecutive games
The Warriors have hit a record-setting low. They are the first defending champions in league history to lose their first six road games.
Of the 10 games the Warriors have played this season, they have managed only three wins, all of which came at the Chase Center. The Warriors currently rank 12th in the Western Conference standings.
Golden State ended their five-game road trip on Friday night against the New Orleans Pelicans. Head coach Steve Kerr opted to rest all his starters, except Kevon Looney.
That did not augur well for the Warriors, as the Pelicans handed them another loss. They will return to the Chase Center to square off against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.
The Warriors will be desperate to get back to winning ways. With the starters well rested, fans will be hoping for a turnaround.
Draymond Green said the Golden State Warriors are terrible defensively
Perhaps the Warriors' strongest feature outside their three-point shooting is their defense. Unfortunately, that has not clicked for them this year.
Kerr attempted to give some of the younger guys more minutes early on. But that might be messing with the natural order and chemistry of the team.
After the defeat to the Orlando Magic, Green spoke about the primary reason why they are losing. He said it's more of the young guys' fault but everyone is responsible.
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"Usually when we struggle on the offensive side our defense usually can save us, and it hasn't. ... It is definitely some of our young guys' fault. But, it's also some of my fault, and some of Steph's fault, and some of Klay's fault. It's all of our fault. We're not defending at the level that it takes to win games."
Steph Curry has also spoken about the back-to-back losses. He said it is new territory for the team as they are used to learning by winning.
There are still 72 games left for the Warriors to play this season. If anyone can go on an incredible streak to finish the season, it is them.
