A player was warned by Kerr for being too attached to the ball. Concern in the locker room is eroding the Warriors

After reversing the Spurs' victory, it's hard for Warriors fans to be happy. Curry still needs 40+ points to win the game. How long will it last?

In games where Curry rests, we expect all players to compete with each other and compete for excellence. However, except for Richard and Moody who occasionally shine, the atmosphere in the entire locker room is like a stagnant water. Even veterans like Horford and Butler seem to need Curry to activate.

What is even more worrying is the atmosphere in the locker room of the Warriors. As early as last week's loss to the Kings and Nuggets, Butler and Green suggested that the team lacked enough competitive spirit, and then lost to the Thunder. Kerr defined it as a "shameful" game. This atmosphere of decay is tantamount to a virus and must be eradicated from the dressing room. After arriving in San Antonio, the Warriors held multiple long team meetings in the morning and afternoon before the game against the Spurs.

Curry later revealed in an interview that the team conducted a long video analysis session, which not only talked about the team's tactical strategy, but also discussed the mentality of the team. After today's game, Curry even talked about the issue of not returning to the locker room at halftime. He gave this explanation: "For shooters, once the shot is short, it is easy to have mental problems. I just wanted to talk to myself at the time, cheer myself up, and adjust my mentality. Sometimes it is better to feel the atmosphere in the venue than in the locker room."

Curry’s words don’t need to be over-interpreted originally, but if combined with Green’s public doubts about whether his teammates put winning above personal pursuits after losing to the Thunder; combined with Cole’s speech and a series of meetings, it is difficult not to think of problems in the locker room. Once there is a problem in the locker room, the breaking point is almost likely to come from one person.

At the beginning of this season, Kuminga still gave the team some short-term surprises. His short pass read after setting up a screen for Curry, and his inward cut to match Curry's outside bounce. It was like a new wind blowing on his face at the time, full of vitality. But after Curry fell ill, when he tasted it carefully, it still tasted the same. He can't handle the production with the ball, and he lacks awareness in defense. Compared with Moody, who has accumulated a lot of experience, Kuminga's progress is not enough. In today's game, Kuminga had a plus-minus of -10 in 12 minutes of playing time, and did not score a minute in the second half. Cole gave an explanation for knee soreness as DNP after the game, which even made people wonder: "Is there a risk of short-term recovery?"

The average age of the Warriors this season is the second in the league. Due to the disastrous defeat to the Thunder, the veterans did not have much playing time. The Warriors' medical spokesman Serabrini gave the green light to Curry, Butler and Green. In a team with many veterans, young players must be a breath of fresh air. Moody and Richard have done this before, which is why they can enter the starting lineup.

ESPN Warriors reporter Slater said in an article after the game that Richard's decisive decision-making ability to transfer the ball amazed Cole. This is one of the main reasons for his entry into the starting lineup. In contrast, the coaching staff needs to emphasize to certain players that they have held the ball too long on the offensive end this season.

Who exactly are the “certain players” described by Slater? I believe that fans who know the Warriors have a rough idea, but we still have to use data to present it clearly and intuitively. This season, excluding Spencer, who cannot be included in the core rotation, the Warriors have only four players with an average time of more than 3 seconds each time they touch the ball, namely Curry, Butler, Podemski and Kuminga. It’s understandable that Curry and Butler are the core of the offense. Podemski’s sticking to the ball is indeed an old problem, but as a point guard, he needs to bear the responsibility of holding the ball through the half court. This data can also be explained. Using the process of elimination, you can pinpoint the target of criticism from the Warriors coaching staff.

In comparison, Green, the brains of the Warriors in allocating the ball, only takes 2 seconds to touch the ball every time; Payton Jr. and Richard, who are very comfortable in the system, touch the ball in about 1.7 seconds each time. Even Wiggins, who once had to share certain isolation tasks, has never had an average touch time of more than 3 seconds in a single season in the Warriors' career, while Kuminga's data this season is 3.35 seconds. Kuminga seems to be too far away from becoming a "self-developed Marion".