Golden State Warriors: 5 Ways to Bounce Back from Recent Stumble

The Golden State Warriors have started to get past their early season stumble and play better. As one of only two teams in the NBA this season to have beaten both the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls, it's undeniable they have real talent. 

Yet they are currently five games below .500, sitting on an 8-13 record. 

How do the "good" Dubs survive and put the "bad" Dubs behind them? Here are five ways they can win. 

Go to David Lee

The Warriors are 6-3 in games in which David Lee has scored at least 20 points. They are 2-8 when he has less than 20. One thing the Dubs need to do is make sure they are going inside to their best low post scorer. 

Golden State is a better team when they are working an inside out game. 

Take Care of the Ball on Both Ends

The Warriors need to take care of the ball. They are 28th in the NBA in turnovers. In their wins, they average 12.4 turnovers. In their losses, they average 15.9 turnovers. 

On the other end of the court they are averaging 17.1 opponents turnovers in their wins and 14.2 in their losses. 

When they have more turnovers than their opponents they are 1-7. When they have fewer they are 7-6. 

Clearly the turnovers are a crucial aspect to their winning the game. 

Limit the Long Twos

The Warriors are eighth in the NBA in long twos (shots taken from the 16-23 foot range). While they are the most efficient team in the NBA at making those shots, they are still hitting only 42.1 percent from that range. That's why you don't want to take a lot of shots from there. 

The Warriors either need to move the ball inside where the chances of making the shot goes up, or drop it outside where the they are one of the better teams in the NBA at knocking down the three. With Dorrell Wright and Stephen Curry being adept three point shooters, there's no reason for the Warriors to be taking so many long twos. 

Pass the Ball

When the Warriors pass the ball, they are a better team. They are 1-8 when they have fewer assists than their opponents. They are 7-5 in games where they have more assists than their opponents. 

With a backcourt that is one of the best and most athletic in the NBA, there's no reason that the Warriors should't be one of the best passing backcourts in the NBA. 

Golden State averages nearly three more assists when they win than when they lose.

Defensive Consistency

The biggest difference between the Warriors in their wins and losses is their defense. Marc Jackson is trying to bring a defensive mindset to the team and it seems to go in and out. 

The Warriors are giving up 11.1 more points per game when they lose than when they win. That's a pretty large disparity. 

They are 1-9 when giving up more than 100 points and they are 7-4 when giving up fewer. They don't need to be the Chicago Bulls defense to win, they just need to be consistently average to win. If they can bring a measure of consistency to their defense, they'll be contending for a playoff spot.