The beginning of the Warriors' 2023-24 NBA season can only be described as a rollercoaster.
After a very promising 6-2 start, Golden State has lost seven of its last nine games to fall below .500 at 8-9 heading into its final In-Season Tournament game on Tuesday.
The Warriors have shaken their road woes from last season — five of their eight wins are away from Chase Center, surprisingly — but a variety of other factors have contributed to Golden State's recent skid.
Stephen Curry missed two games due to a knee sprain, and Draymond Green was suspended for five games after putting Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock back on Nov. 14.
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With two key pieces in and out of the lineup, Golden State would have hoped starters Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins could shake off early-season slumps to provide a steadying hand, but that hasn't been the case.
As Golden State returns to full strength with Green's suspension behind him, are changes to the starting lineup necessary? Thompson and Green are both opposed to the idea.
Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins' early season struggles
Through 16 games, Thompson is averaging just 15.0 points while shooting 40.2 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from 3. His scoring average is his lowest since his rookie season and his shooting splits from the field and beyond the arc are the lowest of his career.
Through 17 games, Wiggins is only averaging 11.8 points per game — the worst mark of his career by far. His shooting efficiency is also at a career-low, as are his 0.4 steals and blocks per game.
It's clear that both Thompson and Wiggins are pressing on the offensive end.
Thompson might be one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, but his rhythm has been off following two severe leg injuries and he isn't scoring with the smooth effortlessness we've seen in the past. Wiggins' shot has also seemed to abandon him, and he isn't getting the easy high-energy buckets we've seen since he joined the Warriors back in 2020.
On the other end, their defensive efforts are far from where either player was at the height of their careers, owning the two worst on-court defensive ratings on the team.
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Both Thompson and Wiggins have had moments, but neither player has strung together quality games with any sort of consistency.
Thompson hit a game-winner against the Kings back on Nov. 1, but he looked more relieved than he was excited to finally get a big shot to fall. Wiggins had a 31-point outburst in a loss to the Thunder on Nov. 18, but it was his only game this season with more than 17 points.
In a recently published piece from ESPN's Kendra Andrews, Wiggins' "lack of physical conditioning [has] annoyed some within the organization."
Andrews also mentioned that Thompson's "contract negotiations are weighing on him," as the franchise cornerstone is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason and may not get the payday he is hoping for.
Draymond Green and Klay Thompson shake off Warriors' slow start
Through his slow start, Thompson isn't losing any faith in his ability to be Golden State's starting shooting guard.
"You want [head coach Steve Kerr] to bench me? To bench Wiggs?" Thompson responded sharply when asked about Kerr's faith in the struggling starters.
"You earn these things like patience and time to find yourself. History is on our side when it comes to that stuff."
Green also backed his guys as he gets ready to rejoin the team on Tuesday.
"They both got off to slower starts than they're accustomed to getting off to. I think you look at the last two or three games and they're both playing a lot better, making more shots, being more aggressive, being more decisive," Green stated.
"Wiggs and Klay are two guys in this league that have proven to be 20-point or higher scorers, pretty much their entire careers."
He went on to talk about how as a whole, the team could do a better job of getting them to their spots for easier buckets — particularly the Warriors' lead ballhandlers: himself, Curry and Chris Paul.
"They're both great players and you look at the last two or three games and they're starting to turn the corner. ... When you've seen guys like that year in and year out, you can hang your hat on and believe that the two or three (good games in a row) is turning a corner and not just a fluke," Green continued.
"So it's good to see them both have the last couple of games they've had. Now we try and build on that and make sure all of them are equating to wins as well."
