The Golden State Warriors are in the thick of a turbulent start to their season, and if there’s one stat that screams louder than the rest, it’s turnovers. Steve Kerr knows it.
The players know it. And the numbers don’t lie - when the Warriors take care of the ball, they win.
When they don’t, things unravel fast.
Let’s break it down: Golden State is 9-1 when they win the turnover battle. That flips to a brutal 1-9 when they lose it.
That’s not a trend - that’s a flashing red light. Right now, the Warriors are coughing up nearly 16 turnovers per game, the fifth-highest mark in the league.
For a team still trying to prove it’s more than a .500 squad, that’s simply unsustainable.
Steve Kerr isn’t sugarcoating it. “We just have to keep taking care of the ball, or start taking care of the ball,” he said recently.
“It’s the same formula. Obviously we’re missing one of the great players of all time so maybe there’s a few more play calls.
I’m going to keep hammering that point home to you guys, to our team, because it’s the No. 1 determining factor whether we win or lose.”
That’s Kerr being direct - and he’s right. Without Stephen Curry, the margin for error shrinks to razor-thin.
Every possession matters more. And when you’re giving away 16 of them a night, you’re digging yourself a hole before the game even gets going.
Kerr’s focus is on the offense, specifically ball security. But not everyone in the locker room sees it exactly the same way.
Veterans like Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler have pointed to the defensive end as the area that needs the most attention. And they’re not wrong either - this team has had its share of breakdowns on that side of the floor.
But this isn’t an either-or situation. The Warriors need to tighten things up across the board if they want to climb the standings.
Now, there’s a bit of a silver lining. After a grueling early-season schedule, the Warriors finally have some breathing room.
A few days to reset, get back in the gym, and drill the fundamentals. You can bet Kerr will be using that time to hammer home the importance of protecting the basketball.
Whether that message sticks remains to be seen, but the urgency is clear.
And there’s at least one reason for cautious optimism. In Saturday night’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State turned the ball over just nine times. That’s the kind of clean, disciplined basketball they’ll need to replicate consistently - especially while Curry remains sidelined.
The formula isn’t complicated. It’s not about reinventing the wheel.
It’s about valuing possessions, making smart decisions, and playing with the kind of focus that’s defined the Warriors at their best. If they can do that, there’s still time to turn this season around.
But if the turnovers keep piling up, the road ahead is going to stay a steep climb.