Early Takeaways from Warriors' 2023 NBA Playoff Performance

As defending NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors haven't had a great start to the 2022-23 postseason.

But as a No. 6 seed that battled inconsistency issues for much of this season, it's hard to imagine the Warriors are complaining about salvaging a split through their first four games against the third-seeded Sacramento Kings.

With Kings star guard De'Aaron Fox now fighting a fractured finger, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Warriors are seemingly in great shape to escape this series.

Before looking forward, though, let's revisit the top takeaways from the four games already in the books.

Stephen Curry Gives Golden State a Championship Pulse

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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 23: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors smiles as he looks to the Sacramento Kings bench during Game Four of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at Chase Center on April 23, 2023 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

If you want reasons to doubt the Dubs' chances of defending their throne, you have plenty to pick from. Their road woes top the list—including the playoffs, they're just 11-33 outside of the Chase Center—but defensive decline, turnover trouble and erratic support scoring are all in the mix, too.

If your glass is half-full, though, and you're buying Golden State as a championship heavyweight, your reasoning is much simpler: Stephen Curry is on the team.

Outside of his ill-fated timeout call late in Game 4, he's been nothing short of a magician in this series. The Warriors, who are only plus-seven for the series, have won Curry's minutes by 45 points. His next negative plus/minus this postseason will be his first.

His threes are falling (20 makes at a 40 percent clip), he is getting to the line (19 attempts over his last three games) and his turnover count has plummeted (10 in the first two games, two in the last two). And while the sample size is small, his on/off numbers are absurd: plus-12.2 points per 100 possessions with him, minus-45.1 points per 100 possessions without, per NBA.com.

The Draymond Green Experience Is Usually Worth It

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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 23: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors stands on the court before their game against the Sacramento Kings in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at Chase Center on April 23, 2023 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Draymond Green can be exhausting—for his team and the opposition.

He plays with an emotional fire the Warriors don't want to extinguish, but they know it can burn them. It's already done that, as his stomp on Domantas Sabonis in Game 2 forced him off the floor the rest of that game and got him suspended for Game 3.

And yet, Green was so dynamic upon his Game 4 return that you understand why the Warriors have continued to stick with him. He registered a plus-eight in that contest (a one-point win for the Warriors), while snagging 10 boards, dishing seven assists (against a single turnover) and playing transcendent defense.

He even came up with the idea of coming off the bench in that game to help Golden State maximize its spacing with the starting group.

"Didn't surprise me because I know at his core Draymond just wants to win," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters of Green's decision. "For all of his emotion and passion and things that he gets into with the league or the opponent or the officials, it's all coming from a place of competitive desire. He's one of the great competitors I've ever been around."

Maybe that competitive edge gets out of control a time or two during whatever is left of Golden State's playoff run, but the Warriors will take that chance. He is too good at all the things he does for them not to.

It's Veterans-Only in Steve Kerr's Circle of Trust

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SACRAMENTO, CA - APRIL 15: Jonathan Kiminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings during Round 1 Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 15, 2023 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

One of the toughest decisions NBA coaches have to make this time of year is deciding which players stick in the postseason rotation.

For Kerr, the decision seems obvious: The more experience in this system, the better.

Five Warriors are averaging at least 29 minutes in this series. All were part of last season's championship team and were with Golden State even before that run: Curry, Green, Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney and Andrew Wiggins.

The only other Warriors to appear in every playoff game are Jordan Poole, Donte DiVincenzo and Jonathan Kuminga. All three have seen significant reductions in floor time. Poole dropped from 30 minutes to 22.8. DiVincenzo's minutes have fallen from 26.3 to 18.8. Kuminga has logged just 7.5 minutes per outing, or barely a third of his 20.8 regular-season average.

If the Dubs embark on another championship run, they'll need these support players—and more—to deliver. When Kerr has all hands on deck, though, he'll side with his veterans as often as possible.