The Golden State Warriors have long lived on the edge when it comes to turnovers. It’s been part of the deal-the price you pay for the beautiful chaos that comes with Stephen Curry’s gravitational pull and the free-flowing offense Steve Kerr has championed for nearly a decade. But this season, that edge is cutting a little too deep.
At 13-15, the Warriors aren’t just struggling-they’re hemorrhaging possessions. They rank 26th in the league in turnovers per game (16.1) and have committed a total of 452 turnovers, second-most in the NBA.
In five games this season, they’ve coughed it up 20 or more times. And during their current three-game skid, they’ve turned it over 51 times.
That’s not just a blip-it’s a trend, and it’s hurting them.
A lot of it starts with Draymond Green. The heartbeat of Golden State’s offense, Green has always walked a tightrope between brilliance and recklessness.
But lately, the balance has tipped too far in the wrong direction. Over the last two games, Green has committed 13 turnovers and posted a 0.76 assist-to-turnover ratio-an unusually inefficient stretch for one of the league’s smartest playmakers.
“He’s trying too hard right now,” Steve Kerr said after the loss to the Suns. “He’s such a competitor, he’s trying too hard to make plays and just needs to slow down a little.”
Kerr’s diagnosis makes sense, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Green himself has acknowledged the issue, taking the blame for his eight-turnover outing against Portland and pointing to indecisiveness as the root of the problem.
“I’m just going to throw the pass when I know it’s there instead of second-guessing,” Green said after the Phoenix game. “I’m a great f**king passer.
So, if I see the pass there, I’m not second-guessing. I’m just going to throw it.
If I turn it over, I turn it over.”
That confidence is part of what makes Green such a unique player. But right now, the Warriors need more than belief-they need execution.
And the film backs it up: Green’s turnovers aren’t just the byproduct of a high-risk, high-reward offense. They’re often the kind of live-ball giveaways that lead directly to points the other way.
Take a possession from the Portland game. After securing a rebound, the Warriors had numbers on the break-4-on-4 with Green pushing the tempo.
He spotted Butler cutting down the middle but didn’t see Shaedon Sharpe lurking in the passing lane. One extra dribble, a few extra steps, and the window closed.
Sharpe read it, jumped it, and took it the other way.
That’s the Kerr perspective-trying to force the issue. But it’s also the Green perspective-he saw the play, but hesitated just long enough to let it slip away. That split-second indecision is the difference between a highlight assist and a costly turnover.
Other mistakes are less nuanced. Against Phoenix, Brandin Podziemski found Green on the wing while the Suns scrambled to recover.
Curry was wide open-always a green light. Green didn’t hesitate, but he also didn’t disguise the pass.
He stared Curry down, and Collin Gillespie read it like a book, stepping in for the steal and a breakaway (which he missed, but the damage was done).
And then there are the technical errors-the kind that just can’t happen from a veteran like Green. On another fastbreak, he drove into the paint and saw Quinten Post in the dunker spot. The read was there, but the pass-a one-handed, underhanded flick-was off-target, allowing Sharpe to rotate over and swipe it clean.
These aren’t just missed opportunities. They’re momentum killers.
And for a team that’s already struggling to generate consistent offense (Golden State ranks 21st in offensive rating), every possession matters. When Green is locked in, he’s still capable of delivering the kind of passes few players in the league can make-like a cross-court dart to Moses Moody while draped in defenders.
That’s the Draymond Green who helped anchor four championship runs.
But when he’s off, the Warriors feel it. These turnovers are coming at critical moments-eight of Green’s 13 in the last two games came in the second half.
And those games? Both decided by just a possession or two.
It’s not even that the Warriors are getting torched in transition. In fact, they’re one of the better transition defenses in the league, allowing just 1.8 points per possession in those scenarios (14th in the NBA).
The real problem is what these turnovers take away: the chance to even get a shot up. For an offense that already has to work hard for clean looks, that’s a gut punch.
According to Cleaning the Glass, Green’s turnover percentage sits at 25.8%-a number that puts him in the bottom 3rd percentile among players at his position. That means roughly one out of every four possessions Green uses ends in a turnover. With a usage rate of 19.6%, that’s simply not sustainable.
The good news? Green’s been here before.
He’s one of the smartest players in the league, with the self-awareness and competitive fire to course-correct. But with the Warriors sitting below .500 and fighting to stay afloat in a loaded Western Conference, time isn’t exactly on their side.
If the Warriors are going to turn their season around, it starts with taking care of the ball. And that means Draymond Green needs to find the balance again-between bold and reckless, instinctive and impulsive.
Because when he’s right, the Warriors’ offense hums. When he’s not, it sputters.
And right now, they can’t afford any more wasted possessions.