Warriors Looking For Answers In Quest To Reverse Downhill Turn

January 9, 2025

The Golden State Warriors hoped to end their troubling slump on Tuesday night, facing a Miami Heat team missing star Jimmy Butler due to suspension. Instead, the Warriors’ woes continued as they were handed a 16-point defeat at home, leaving them to ponder how to reverse a downturn that began well before Thanksgiving.

After an encouraging 12-3 start to the season, Golden State has plummeted to a 6-15 stretch, struggling through injuries, inconsistent rotations, and a mid-December trade for Dennis Schroder that has failed to spark the desired turnaround.

Trayce Jackson-Davis, one of the Warriors’ emerging young talents, voiced the team’s frustrations, reflecting on their struggles.

“When shots are falling, everything’s nice, everything’s great,” Jackson-Davis told reporters. “We can’t be front-runners; we got to dig in, we got to find our soul. That’s what (Draymond Green) kind of said. It was our soul that we’ve lost.”

Green’s words highlight the lack of intensity that has plagued the Warriors in recent weeks, particularly on the defensive end and when shots aren’t falling.

Coach Steve Kerr echoed these sentiments, expressing disappointment with his team’s energy, or lack thereof.

“We feel deflated right now,” Kerr said. “And there’s no room for feeling sorry for ourselves in the NBA. We can’t let disappointment dictate our approach to the game. We have to do the opposite. We have to bring more fire.”

As the Warriors now sit at 18-18, barely clinging to a play-in spot, they face a brutal four-game road trip ahead. Kerr and the Warriors need to rediscover their competitive spirit quickly, or the season could spiral even further.