Jimmy Butler didn’t sugarcoat anything after the Golden State Warriors dropped a 127–123 NBA Cup matchup to the Portland Trail Blazers. His message was simple and blunt.
“We’re just not guarding nobody. From what I can tell, I haven’t been here long, but that’s never been the formula here,” Butler said after the loss, via Anthony Slater.
For a team built on discipline, physicality and structure, the comment hit loudly. And the numbers back him up. Golden State’s defense is not close to the standard it set last season.
So what has changed? And can it be fixed?
Why the Warriors Are Slipping on Defense
GettyGolden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr made a bold claim about his team’s start to the season and delivered multiple updates on his roster.
From Butler’s arrival last season through the final game, the Warriors owned the league’s best defensive rating at 109.0, per NBA tracking. This year, that number has dipped to 112.2. Still respectable, but no longer elite.
The decline shows up everywhere.
Golden State’s rebound percentage has dropped from 51.2 to 48.2. That fall moves them from near the top of the league to the low 20s. Their turnover percentage has ballooned too, jumping from 14.2 to 16.6. That means more live-ball mistakes and more opponent transition chances.
Friday’s game against Portland exposed all of it. The Trail Blazers outrebounded the Warriors 52–32, including a 21–9 edge on the offensive glass. Those second-chance opportunities turned into a 28–10 scoring gap. Golden State had the better turnover margin for the first time in a loss this season, but it didn’t matter because they couldn’t control the defensive glass.
The frustrating part is that the personnel is mostly the same. Yet the results are nothing like what the Warriors built over the second half of last year.
Warriors Issue No. 1: Rebounding Has Completely Collapsed
Some of Golden State’s rebounding problems were predictable. Lineups featuring Buddy Hield or Gary Payton II have always struggled on the glass.
But the surprising regression belongs to Al Horford.
In theory, Horford’s experience, size and positioning should help. Instead, opponents are rebounding 6.1 percent more of their misses when he is on the court. That is a massive swing. His total rebound percentage has fallen to a career-low 10.3, which suggests something simple: the 39-year-old has lost a step.
The Warriors could have used their taxpayer mid-level exception on a younger, more athletic big. They chose Horford instead because of his IQ and spacing. Right now, that bet is not paying off.
Warriors Issue No. 2: Point-of-Attack Pressure Has Fallen Apart
Rebounding is only part of the story.
Golden State also isn’t stopping the ball. Portland’s Deni Avdija sliced through the defense all night, finishing with 26 points and a career-high 14 assists. Caleb Love attacked the gaps and knocked down two dagger threes, including the one that sealed the game with 28 seconds left.
The Warriors do not have a lockdown perimeter defender. Payton once fit that role, but he no longer moves like the 2022 version of himself. Hield is hit-or-miss, and the rest of the rotation is serviceable but not elite.
Some of the issue is focus too. Even Stephen Curry had costly late breakdowns, surrendering a back cut and a kick-out three in crunch time. Those are mistakes veteran teams are supposed to avoid.
Inside the Breakdown: How the Blazers Exposed Golden State
Despite Curry’s 38-point eruption with nine threes, the Warriors could not hold on. They blew a seven-point halftime lead, allowed Portland to dominate the paint and gave up too many second-chance scores.
This was supposed to be a straightforward win. The Warriors entered the night 8–0 this season when committing fewer turnovers than their opponent. They also started 5–0 at Chase Center.
Both streaks ended.
Golden State is now 1–2 in NBA Cup play with one game left, a home matchup against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
Can the Warriors Fix This Without a Trade?
Head coach Steve Kerr won’t panic. It is still early. But the weaknesses are not small.
Golden State needs:
• a real point-of-attack defender
• an interior scorer who can finish through contact
• a rebounder who resets possessions
• a wing who can survive on both ends
They are not solving all four problems at the deadline. But fixing two would change everything. If they can regain control of the glass and shore up their perimeter defense, many of the other issues shrink.
Right now, the Warriors are neither disciplined nor physical enough. Butler’s quote captured the truth. They have drifted away from an identity that used to define them.
Final Word
The Warriors still have Curry playing at an MVP-level clip. They still have enough scoring. Their offensive talent keeps them in every game.
What they don’t have is their defensive soul.
Butler called it out. The numbers confirm it. And the Blazers exposed it.
The Warriors can fix this, but they need to decide whether the solution comes from within or from the trade market. Until then, every possession will feel harder than it needs to be.
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