The Golden State Warriors lost some apparently key off-the-bench players from their championship team, and combined with maybe some mental fatigue or hangover from their long season, they've been a team in process of finding itself.
In December they made progress in that process. When the starters leave the floor, they no longer typically face climbing out of a hole dug by the bench players when they return. Several things seem to have happened. Coach Kerr started sending Draymond Green out with the rotation players, and that had immediate positive effect. Donte DiVincenzo has emerged as a sparkplug on defense and rebounding, and a playmaker on offense. But it's the sudden improvement of Jonathan Kuminga that is most startling, especially on defense. Earlier in the season, observers wrote that he looked lost on the court, and questioned his energy. By mid-December he's becoming a trusted player on both sides of the ball. He still has those flashes of brilliance, but he's added consistency, and his effort is no longer in doubt.
But consistency is still elusive for the team as a whole. The Warriors went from a home loss to one of the weakest teams in the league and an abysmal loss on the road by blowing a lead in the last few seconds to another weaker team, to soundly defeating the Boston Celtics, the team with the best record in the NBA.
Now they head out for a grueling six game road trip, with a couple back to backs, against good and very good teams. Mostly teams in the East, and the Eastern Division has been far better so far this season than the West. When the Warriors return home for a Christmas game, a lot more will be known about where this team stands.
The second half of the season should be very interesting. Both the Brooklyn Nets and the LA Lakers, who looked pretty bad for most of the season so far, are stringing wins together in December. Other top teams besides the Warriors have lost to weaker opponents. Even the San Antonio Spurs have put together some wins. Sacramento has emerged as a challenger in the West, at least early on. But I'm watching what the sleeping giants, the Nets and Lakers do. The Warriors may only have to get into the playoffs to challenge for another championship. But they're going to have to do some winning even to do that. It could be their patience will pay off in the coming months.
