5 Areas Golden State Warriors Can Still Improve

File this under "terrifying but true": The 2017-18 Golden State Warriors are nowhere near their peak.

Sure, they've steamrolled seven straight opponents by an absurd average of 19.9 points. And yeah, their plus-14.4 net efficiency rating really does almost double the closest team's.

But there are myriad reasons to believe this is only the beginning. The offense might be historically explosive, but it could run smoother and more efficiently. The defense could beef up its rim resistance, and the Dubs could handle their mental demons a little cleaner, too.

The machine isn't yet running at full force. Address these five areas, though, and Golden State's superpowers would become more potent than ever.

Starting Faster

Ryan Kang/Associated Press

There's something almost luxurious about the Warriors not being an elite first-quarter club (plus-7.2 in the period, ninth overall). That's because it stems from the knowledge they can overwhelm opponents at any time once they flip the proverbial switch.

It should be a more dangerous undertaking than it has been. But Golden State can claim victory most nights by expending maximum effort in one half or even a game-changing quarter.

Just look at the winning streak. The Warriors have built their nightly colossal advantage almost entirely in the second half. They are winning second halves by an average of 15.3 points and controlling the third frame to the tune of plus-12.6 points per night.

"I'd like to be a first-half team too," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, per Mark Medina of the Bay Area News Group. "Teams come after us early. Everybody wants to knock us down. They come out with a ton of energy and overplay things. We're pretty careless with the ball. Then it seems like things settle down."

This isn't a recent phenomenon, either. On the season, the Warriors' net efficiency spikes from plus-7.2 before intermission to a league-best plus-22.0 after the break.

But Golden State could break this pattern if it wanted to. Even if opponents are extra motivated early, a fully revved Warriors team is rolling over just about anything in front of it. The question is whether it feels the need to commit to that level of engagement before the second season tips.

More Freebies

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Although it's rarely used in a flattering manner, it's not derogatory to call Golden State a jump-shooting team.

Their field-goal attempts are monopolized by Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, none of whom has an average shot distance below 15 feet. Despite playing at the fifth-fasted speed, the Dubs are dead last in drives per game (24.6) and 22nd in restricted-area shots (25.4).

These aren't necessarily flaws, rather they reflect this roster's strengths. But this style becomes a barricade to the charity stripe. Golden State sits just 22nd in free throws per 100 possessions (20.5) and 20th in free-throw rate (0.247), numbers that feel criminally low when it's also tied for second in free-throw percentage (83.1).

Obviously, the Dubs are doing just fine without the freebies. Their offense is on course to be the most efficient ever, and there's a wider gap between them and this season's second-best scoring team (8.2 points per game) than the one separating Nos. 2 and 21 (8.1).

But if Golden State ever needs to improve its attack, this could be an easy source of extra scoring.

Interior Defense

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A superficial review of the stat sheet might lead one to believe the heart of the Dubs' defense is as dominant as ever. No one comes close to their nightly average of 8.7 blocks, and only six clubs collect more defensive rebounds than their 35.9.

But dig a little deeper, and you'll find Golden State's interior play is the reason this defense isn't occupying its typically prominent place on the efficiency rankings (101.8 defensive rating, seventh overall).

There's enough individual talent to keep the Warriors within striking distance of the top, especially with Durant deciding he's now an elite rejection artist (career-best 2.2 per game). But collectively, it isn't functioning as a solid stone wall.

Golden State finds itself on the wrong side of average in a number of interior defense categories. It's only 22nd in defensive rebound percentage (76.2), which has also meant a 23rd standing in second-chance points against (13.6). The Warriors tie for 18th in restricted-area field-goal percentage allowed (63.6) and are 24th in paint-points surrendered (46.6).

The rebounding woes may never go away—they were 29th in defensive rebound percentage last season—but they're capable of getting much stingier around the basket. Durant, Draymond Green and Zaza Pachulia are all defending the rim much worse than they did in 2016-17.

Ball Control

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Turnovers have been an issue from the moment Kerr grabbed the reins in 2014. The Dubs have yet to finish outside of the bottom half in average giveaways and are on pace to have the worst performance yet (17.4 per game, 28th).

"[Turnovers have] long been discussed as the softest spot on this hard-shelled monster," Anthony Slater wrote for the Athletic. "Gather a batch of creative, confident stars and unleash them on the league in a free-flowing pass-pass-pass system at an up-tempo pace and this is the result.

"Steph Curry might ping a behind-the-back pass out of bounds, Kevin Durant might wing a cross-courter to the other team, Draymond Green may make a bold but unsuccessful outlet heave."

Even if most are well-intentioned, these turnovers aren't all system-driven. There's nothing in Kerr's playbook about increasing the difficulty of a pass by adding unnecessary flair or taking chances with little-to-no chance of success. Not wanting to curtail their creativity is one thing, but there's a reason this coaching staff constantly stresses the importance of making the simple play.

Carelessness seems like it should have such an easy cure, but at this point, being reckless has become a part of their identity. That still doesn't forgive the blunders. Not when Golden State is so skilled that it could follow smart, straightforward reads to a third world title in four years.

Maintaining Focus

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It's exhausting just thinking about how much basketball the Warriors have played over their last three seasons. Imagine how actually suiting up and sweating out those 48-plus minutes must feel.

Thanks to their three consecutive Finals runs, they've added an extra 62 games to their three-year slate. They've also chopped a good six months off their potential vacation allotment, probably more once you factor in the post-championship victory tours.

All of that takes a physical and mental toll. And between the team success and external praise, it solidifies the belief that this group is chasing historical greatness because it has left all its present-day peers in the dust.

None of this makes it easy to carry maximum motivation and razor-sharp focus into each step of the 82-game marathon the Warriors have conquered three years in a row.

"This is the hardest year," Shaun Livingston told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne. "Just the way our mind feels. It's mentally taxing over physically. ... So we're trying not to snap. We're trying to build some resistance to that."

The process is improving after a sluggish 4-3 start, but it's still the trickiest obstacle they'll face all season. If the Warriors can overcome it, though, they could have yet another year for the record books.

Unless otherwise indicated, all stats are from Basketball Reference or NBA.com.

Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @ZachBuckleyNBA.