Warriors' Steve Kerr Says 'It's Time to Try Something Different' amid Early Struggles

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he's going to shake things up after the defending champions suffered their fourth straight loss Thursday night.

The Warriors' 130-129 defeat at the hands of the Orlando Magic dropped the team's record to 3-6 and they've yet to win a game on the road this season (0-5).

"We've had nine games now, so we've had a decent look at combinations. It's time to try something different," Kerr told reporters. "Everybody's gonna get a chance to play. We've got guys who are dying to get on the floor, and we've got to find combinations that play. We will look at that as a staff."

He added: "We have to save us. Because nobody else is coming."

Golden State's collapse at the defensive end has been one of the biggest surprises early in the 2022-23 season.

Kerr's group ranked first in defensive efficiency last season and then rolled through the playoffs, losing just six games across four series, en route to the franchise's fourth NBA title since 2015. They've dropped to 22nd in that category so far in the current campaign.

Those struggles continued Thursday night. The Warriors allowed the Magic to shoot 53.8 percent from the field (42 of 78) and 43.3 percent on threes (13 of 30). Orlando also grabbed 11 offensive boards as part of a 46-35 rebounding advantage.

"It's our defense," forward Draymond Green said. "We have to correct our defense."

Kerr also pointed out how the Dubs sent the Magic to the free-throw line 46 times by committing 32 personal fouls, saying it's "really hard to win" that way.

"This isn't a case of our new guys or our young fouling; it's everybody," Kerr said. "By the time the second unit got on the floor in the first, they were in the bonus. ... We set a terrible tone, and we've done that pretty much all year."

The slow start will force the Warriors to climb up the Western Conference standings, which wasn't an issue last year as they cruised through the regular season. They didn't suffer their sixth loss in 2021-22 until Dec. 18 when their record stood at 24-6.

While a championship hangover isn't totally uncommon in sports, the Dubs have shown very few signs they're still the same dominant squad from five months ago.

It's going to take a substantial turnaround defensively for Golden State to start winning consistently and avoid a season where they're fighting until the end to avoid the play-in tournament.

The Warriors are back in action Friday night when they visit the Smoothie King Center to wrap up a five-game road trip against the New Orleans Pelicans.