Golden State Warriors

Draymond Green tried to find a silver lining Tuesday night after the Golden State Warriors suffered their third straight loss, which dropped the reigning NBA champions' record to 3-5.

"I thought our energy was better at times," Green told reporters following a 116-109 road loss to the Miami Heat. "But we've still got to put it together and win games."

The veteran forward finished with five points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals in 32 minutes.

During the early stages of the 2022-23 campaign, Golden State hasn't looked anything like the team that rolled through last season's playoffs.

The Warriors rank tied for 19th in offensive efficiency and tied for 20th in defensive efficiency, illustrating the problems they're having at both ends of the floor.

Head coach Steve Kerr explained after Sunday's loss to the Detroit Pistons he hadn't "felt a sense of urgency" from within the roster to address the early-season woes.

"It takes a little time," Kerr said. "We'll get there. I am very confident in that. But our guys need to come together and there needs to be a sense of purpose. We have to figure out what that means."

The good news for Golden State is it's schedule, which is favorable during the first half of November and should give the star-studded squad a golden opportunity to start turning things around.

Upcoming games for the Dubs include two against the Sacramento Kings along with single matchups against the Orlando Magic, New Orleans Pelicans, Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs.

The Warriors should be aiming to go 4-2 or better during that stretch, which would get them back to .500 before the schedule toughens again later in the month.

A turnaround starts on defense, which was the team's calling card last year en route to the title. Golden State finished the 2021-22 regular season first in defensive efficiency.

If Green, a four-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection, and Co. can get things figured out at that end, the team's offensive talent should begin to shine through with more transition opportunities.

Next up for the defending champs is a visit to the Amway Center for a clash with the Magic on Thursday.

In Stephen Curry's eyes, the Golden State Warriors are not living up to their elevated standard.

"There is frustration because we have a standard," he told reporters following Tuesday's 116-109 loss to the Miami Heat. "That's good because we've had championship banners to show for it, but that uneasiness puts you in a position where you have to figure it out. ... I hope everybody is frustrated with the results, but the process is pretty solid."

Those expectations are in place because Golden State is a modern-day dynasty.

It has won four of the last eight championships, with the most recent one coming last season with its NBA Finals victory over the Boston Celtics. Many of the same players are still on the roster, which meant the 2022-23 campaign took on a championship-or-bust tone right from the start.

Curry pointed out it will take something of a balancing act to turn things around and start to live up to those expectations:

The Warriors have lost three in a row and are 3-5 overall. While the Heat are presumed contenders this season, the other two losses in the current streak came against the Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons.

It's hard to blame Curry for the latest loss considering he notched a triple-double of 23 points, 13 assists and 13 rebounds. He has been largely excellent again this season and entered play with averages of 31.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 39.5 percent from deep.

Yet fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson is averaging just 12.3 points a night while shooting 28.6 percent from deep. Draymond Green is shooting just 25.0 percent from three-point range, and Jordan Poole is second on the team in scoring at 17.9 points a night while coming off the bench.

Poole was just 1-of-7 from deep against the Heat, and the defense struggled yet again.

In fact, that defense is 25th in the league in defensive rating, per NBA.com, which is nowhere near championship level.

Fortunately for the Warriors, they still have plenty of time to turn things around since it is still early in the season. But Curry will eventually need more help on the offensive side, and the defense will need to take drastic strides if another championship is going to be in the cards.

The Golden State Warriors are picking up the $12.1 million fourth-year option on center James Wiseman, the $6.0 million third-year option on Jonathan Kuminga and the $3.9 million third-year option on Moses Moody, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic and ESPN's Kendra Andrews.

All three moves were expected for the trio of first-round selections.

Because the Warriors have a championship-winning core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole, the impact of their young trio has been perhaps somewhat muted early in their respective careers.

Wiseman, 21, showed flashes in his rookie season, averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 39 games. A torn meniscus and a series of setbacks in his recovery cost him all of last season, though he's returned to the rotation this year and is averaging 8.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game.

Kuminga, 20, served as a solid depth piece during his rookie season, averaging 9.3 points in 70 games, even making 12 starts. He played just 8.6 minutes per game once the postseason hit, as the Warriors relied on their veteran players, and he's had a tough start to the 2022-23 season (2.7 PPG, 33.3 percent shooting from the field).

But rangy wings aren't easy to come by, and like Wiseman, Kuminga has shown the type of potential that makes him a worthwhile developmental project for the contending Dubs.

Moody, 20, has struggled to find a footing during his first two seasons, averaging 4.6 points per game across 59 overall contests. Like Kuminga, he played a bit role during last year's postseason run. He's shown flashes of being a solid shooter from the perimeter (36.3 percent from deep in his career), however.

Golden State's young trio offers the Dubs something of a win-win proposition: Either they develop into excellent players who eventually take up the mantle for Curry, Thompson and Green once the veterans depart or retire, or they could eventually be used as viable trade pieces for a more seasoned contributor.

All three would see more playing time elsewhere. But for the time being, they are a part of Golden States' plans, and exercising their respective options was a no-brainer.

When Andrew Wiggins was traded to the Warriors in February 2020, he was more well-known for his disappointing play in Minnesota than his talent. Some said he had the worst contract in the NBA, and others doubted the first overall pick could ever be a winning player.

Fast forward two-plus years, and Wiggins has not only become a winner, but he has also positioned himself to be the Warriors’ second-best player.

Even Klay Thompson, proudly the Warriors’ second-best star in this dynasty’s creation, noticed Wiggins creeping into his territory.

"I'm so grateful for Andrew,” Thompson said on a recent episode of All the Smoke. “He makes my job so much easier. I watch him, like, bro, I can't believe you have to chase around [Luka] Dončić and [Jayson] Tatum and [Ja] Morant all game and then go get us 20. I'm exhausted watching you play."

For now, the title of second-best player is Thompson’s to lose. But forget about the Warriors' pecking order for a moment, and think about the big picture: maximizing the Stephen Curry era. Without Wiggins, do the Warriors have a real shot?

Given where he was two years ago, it’s fascinating how necessary Wiggins has become.

Wiggins’ 2021 evolution

Wiggins was acquired mostly for his defensive upside with Thompson coming off two major injuries. But he also mastered his role of deferring to the established stars on offense. That gave him room to carve his own niche, unsaddled with the responsibility to create his own shot.

Over the 2020-21 and 2021-22 regular seasons, he averaged 17.9 points per game while making 38.7 percent of his three-point attempts.

Then Wiggins took it a step further in the 2022 playoffs. A typically passive Wiggins transformed into an aggressor on the boards. He went from a career 4.4 rebounds per game to 7.5, culminating in a Finals performance in which he led the Warriors with 8.8 rebounds per game.

Wiggins even noted over the summer on the Point Forward podcast the need to impact the game in as many ways as possible.

"You gotta figure out different ways to get [the ball],” he said. “So I was like, let me try and get my feet wet, go in there, rebound the ball. Especially when we played small in the Memphis series, I had to rebound. I'm in there rebounding, I'm like, 'This ain't that hard! I can rebound!' From there, I just kept with it. It helps us win, gets us more possessions. I can do this."

Wiggins was significantly more aggressive crashing the glass and slashing to the rim, providing huge games at various points in playoffs to turn series while becoming the second-leading scorer next to Curry.

No stat told the story of his versatility better than his plus-140 plus/minus that led the entire NBA in the playoffs.

Wiggins 2.0

Those playoffs appear to have unlocked a new level to Wiggins—call it Wiggins 2.0.

In the early season, Wiggins is averaging 20.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists as well as 1.8 steals and 1.2 blocks.

The first number that jumps out is the 7.0 rebounds per game, carrying over from last playoffs and significantly more than his career 4.4 per game average. More importantly, he is averaging 2.0 offensive rebounds per game, an elite clip for a wing and a way to generate easy offense.

Beyond offensive rebounding, he is utilizing a varied attack of slashing, spotting up and individual shot creation. Put this all together and he’s able to give the Warriors a consistent and efficient 20-plus points without having specific plays called for him.

And while Warriors fans have come to expect consistent defensive play, don’t downplay improvement on that end as well. His on-ball defense has been a staple of his time in Golden State, but his increased impact as a team defender is perhaps best displayed in the blocks and steal numbers.

If Wiggins keeps this up, he will be in rare air.

Last season, only seven players averaged one block and one steal per game, including perennial All-Defensive team candidates such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. Draymond Green has done it six times over his 11-year career, a number to explain Green’s versatility and ability to get his hands on the ball.

Wiggins 2.0 is impacting the game at a high level in nearly every facet. And Wiggins 2.0 couldn’t have come at a better time for the Warriors, as Thompson has struggled to re-establish himself as the team’s second scoring option and chief two-way player. The Warriors need this Wiggins. And Wiggins needs the Warriors.

His recently inked four-year, $109 million extension is a result of his consistency. While contracts aren’t the first thought when assigning impact on a team, Wiggins’ team-friendly deal—currently slotted to be the 53rd-highest-paid player in the NBA next season—provides the Warriors financial flexibility to craft rosters deep enough to challenge for future titles, especially as players age.

The first names that come to mind when you think of the dynasty Warriors will always be the original core three of Curry, Thompson and Green. But no dynasty can look exactly the same throughout its run. Following Kevin Durant’s footsteps, Wiggins has not only become one of the faces of the dynasty but someone who can be a major key to extending this contention window.

Coming off an ugly loss Tuesday to the Phoenix Suns, the Golden State Warriors got back on track with a 123-110 victory over the Miami Heat at Chase Center on Thursday.

Stephen Curry had a vintage performance with 33 points on 13-of-22 shooting and nine assists in 37 minutes. Klay Thompson, fresh off his first career ejection in Tuesday's game, is still trying to find his form after going 6-of-19 from the field.

One early-season trend that continued against the Heat was Andrew Wiggins playing at a high level, as the 27-year-old had his first double-double of the 2022-23 campaign with 18 points and 10 rebounds. He also had the best individual plus-minus mark in the game (+17).

Wiggins' performance Thursday and through the first five games of the season has prompted fans and analysts on NBA Twitter to hype him as Golden State's second-best player after Curry:

The Warriors signed Wiggins to a four-year, $109 million contract extension on Oct. 15, but it was immediately overshadowed by Jordan Poole's new deal announced the following day (four years, $140 million).

Poole certainly figures to be a big part of Golden State's future because of his age (23) and offensive upside, but he has to get better on defense to become a star-level player.

Wiggins established himself defensively last season, particularly in the NBA Finals when he was matched up against Jayson Tatum. Further, Wiggins is averaging 7.0 rebounds per game in five starts this season; his highest single-season rebound average coming into the year was 5.1 per game in 2019-20.

On top of all that, Wiggins is averaging 20.2 points per game on 36.4 percent three-point shooting.

As the Warriors wait for Thompson, Poole and Draymond Green to hit their stride, Wiggins' emergence makes his new contract look like an even bigger bargain than it did when it was announced.

The Golden State Warriors' defense was questioned following a 134-105 blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, which dropped the reigning NBA champions' record to 2-2.

Phoenix shot 51.1 percent from the field and knocked down 12 threes on 41.4 percent efficiency as it improved to 3-1. Golden State also allowed the Suns to grab 14 offensive rebounds.

"The commitment to defense isn't there," forward Draymond Green told reporters. "That's something we have to be better at, and it starts with me. And I'll make sure we get there. But right now, we are a decent offensive team and a bad defensive team. I don't expect that to be the case. It's something we can change, we've just got to commit to it."

Although the sample size remains small, the Warriors rank 29th in points allowed per game (124) and 24th in opponents' field goal percentage (48.4) so far in 2022-23.

Here's a look at some Twitter reaction to the Dubs' performance:

Devin Booker led all scorers with 34 points to pace the Suns' offense. Mikal Bridges (17 points), Jock Landale (17), Deandre Ayton (16) and Chris Paul (16) also reached double figures in scoring as Phoenix kicked off a six-game homestand in emphatic fashion.

It was a chippy contest with a lot of trash talk going in both directions, which included Klay Thompson being ejected in the third quarter after a verbal exchange with Booker.

"We've got to remember that [as] defending champs, there's a different glow when you walk in," Warriors superstar Stephen Curry said. "Teams are trying to come at you, especially on the road, get their crowd into it. Their emotions are running high and they fed off of it. ... They had a bit of an edge after that moment that they capitalized on."

Tensions won't have too much time to cool off as Golden State returns to Footprint Center for a rematch in a couple weeks (Nov. 16).

Next up for the Warriors is a return home to the Chase Center for a clash with the Miami Heat on Thursday.

The Suns are back in action Friday when they host the New Orleans Pelicans.

Phoenix Suns All-Star guard Devin Booker divulged that Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson had plenty to say about the Dubs' four championships in the past eight years during Phoenix's emphatic 134-105 win on Tuesday.

Thompson was ejected during the third quarter after he and Booker bumped chests while talking trash, resulting in double technical fouls. Thompson then shoved Suns wing Mikal Bridges, which yielded his second technical and his first ejection in 796 career NBA regular-season and playoff games.

Per ESPN's Kendra Andrews, Booker revealed what Thompson was saying to the Suns bench as he walked off the court: "They have four rings, repeated over and over, and they do, and they did."

Booker added: "We're just two competitors. I love Klay Thompson. I have for a really long time. But it's not going to excuse from us being competitive and talking to each other. I've always admired his game, how he plays on both ends of the ball. And obviously, the rings speak for themselves."

The Warriors have been the dominant team in the NBA for nearly a decade, and although the Suns had the best record in the NBA last season, it was the Warriors who went the distance, represented the Western Conference in the NBA Finals and beat the Boston Celtics.

In fact, the Suns didn't even make it to the Western Conference Finals, as they surprisingly fell to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round despite having a stacked lineup headlined by Booker, Bridges, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton.

Phoenix is off to a strong start again this season at 3-1, and Tuesday's victory over Golden State can only be described as a statement win.

That is especially true for Booker, who outdueled both Thompson and Stephen Curry with a game-high 34 points to go along with seven assists, three steals and two rebounds.

Meanwhile, Thompson struggled mightily before his ejection, finishing with only two points on 1-of-8 shooting, plus two assists and one block.

That marked the continuation of a slow start for Thompson this season. He had eight points on 3-of-10 shooting in Golden State's previous game against the Sacramento Kings and is averaging just 11.0 points per game for the 2-2 Warriors.

Frustration seemed to set in for Thompson on Tuesday, as he couldn't find his rhythm and the Warriors were thoroughly outplayed as a team as well.

Following the game, Curry said he loved to see Thompson jawing with the Suns because it made him feel like Thompson was "engaged" in the game and the situation.

That hasn't translated to great performances from Thompson thus far, but he will have a chance to right the ship Thursday when the Warriors host the Miami Heat.