In today’s Dub Hub:
- Hawks’ defensive length and athleticism gives Warriors problems in Sunday night’s 124-111 loss.
- De’Anthony Melton discusses how he feels now one month into his return from ACL rehab.
- ESPN’s Zach Kram looks into the success rate of blockbuster trades in the NBA.
The Golden State Warriors didn’t shy away from the reason behind Sunday night’s 124–111 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Despite Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler both delivering 30-point performances, Golden State faced
an uphill battle throughout the night, pointing directly to Atlanta’s length and athleticism on the defensive end as a major factor in their struggles.
The Hawks consistently took away driving lanes, contested shots on the perimeter, and disrupted the Warriors’ rhythm with their ability to switch across multiple positions. Those challenges showed up all night long, as possessions stalled late into the shot clock and often ended in last-second threes, with Golden State shooting just 23.8 percent from deep (10-of-42). Even when shots did fall, they came under heavy pressure, with long defenders closing in quickly.
Despite the Hawks entering Sunday’s matchup below .500, their defensive-oriented playstyle has consistently posed problems for the Warriors throughout the season. For Golden State, it was yet another reminder of the thin margin for error against younger, longer, and more athletic teams built to defend in space.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Monday, January 12th:
Warriors News:
Warriors’ kryptonite, dire need for roster changes exposed by the athletic Hawks | NBC Sports Bay Area
The roster is profoundly defective. As good as the Warriors have been of late, rediscovering offense and winning eight of their previous 11 games, their margin for error remains thinner than dollar-store tissue.
The Warriors are short; the Hawks are lengthy. The Warriors are light on elite athleticism; the Hawks could assemble a very good 400-meter relay squad. The Hawks showcased active, disruptive defenders and had enough shooters to take full advantage of the havoc they created against Golden State.
Warriors youngsters’ lack of progression has them stuck in neutral this season | The Athletic
Aside from the Kuminga distraction, the issue for the Warriors is that Moody and Podziemski continue to struggle to put solid games together. Podziemski, who is averaging 11.9 points a game, has scored in single digits in four of his last five contests. Moody (10.4 ppg) has scored in single digits in seven of his last eight games.
While a faction of the Warriors fan base will blame head coach Steve Kerr and his assistants for the lack of development, the reality is none of the three has become what the Warriors wanted. That becomes more pronounced on a night like Sunday, when Curry scored 31, Jimmy Butler scored 30 and the next highest scorer was De’Anthony Melton with 10. These are the types games in which — in Sunday’s case — Moody and Podziemski should pick up more of the slack.
De’Anthony Melton discusses how he feels since returning from his ACL rehab
NBA News:
Are blockbuster NBA trades worth it? Lessons from 14 since 2013 | ESPN
One common theme among the trades is that they’ve largely ended up costing only mediocre picks because the teams going all-in are contenders that draft later in the first round. Though the Nets have traded three future selections that landed in the top three picks, none of the other picks from this list of blockbusters landed in the top seven. Instead, 70% of the picks and swaps that have matured to date either landed outside the lottery or didn’t convey.
Taken all together, the future picks traded in these blockbuster deals have returned roughly the No. 18 pick in average value, according to my draft pick value chart.
Kings’ Dennis Schroder suspended three games for ‘confronting and attempting to strike another player’ after a loss
In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:
Seth Curry to be reevaluated in two weeks
While the team has been mostly fine without him, Curry’s absence speaks volumes with regard to the volume-shooting Warriors, who take the most threes in the league in terms of shot frequency but are middle-of-the-pack when it comes to makes. True to his family name, Curry profiles as one of the league’s bonafide knockdown shooters.
Follow @unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.
