Warriors' Recent Struggles Are Just Part of the Plan

For most of us, patience is hard to come by. Unless you're really good at meditating, or a kindergarten teacher, chances are you've had plenty of moments that are far from Zen recently.

We live in a world of instant gratification. Same day delivery, food apps, heck, you can even have a new car dropped off in your driveway now.

This mindset bleeds over into sports all the time. We get a flash of hope with a new coach, and well, it's time to hurry up and start winning titles. Rookie quarterback drafted in the first round? You better play like a pro bowler.

Klay Thompson's return after missing two years is another situation where patience is just going to have to be a major part of the process. The Warriors host the Pacers Thursday night having lost five of eight while failing to cover in six of their last nine. For most teams, you might get a little worried. Maybe they're not the second coming of their dynasty?

The reality is, this team hasn't been at full strength in two years. What we're watching shouldn't bother anyone significantly, even if you happen to have a future on them winning the NBA title this year.

The Long Road Back

Thompson is coming off his best game since his 941-day absence, with a team-high 21 points against the Pistons Tuesday night. It was the first time he led the team in scoring since Game 6 of the NBA Finals, right before he tore his ACL.

Chemistry and game shape are just part of this next step of Steve Kerr's plan. Thompson has seen a lot of his shots fall short, which is clearly a sign those game legs just aren't back yet. Then there's the role change for everyone around him, like Jordan Poole, who's watched his minutes drop in the five games since Klay's return.

Poole is without a doubt a huge part of this team's future, averaging 17.6 points per game on 13.8 shots in 30 minutes a game this year when Thompson was out of the lineup. In the five games since his return though, Poole has seen that change quite a bit, averaging just 12 points on 9.8 shots in 25.0 minutes per game.

Then there's Steph Curry, who went from 26.6 points a game on 20.4 shots, to now just 21.3 points on 16.0 shots per game since Thompson stepped back onto the court.

This is clearly a marathon, and the Warriors are right in the thick of it.

The good news though is this team has adjusted plenty before. We saw Kevin Durant fit just fine when he came to Golden State after they won 73 games, and Thompson has been a part of this team's core longer, and clearly, they all still have that built-in chemistry hanging around.

Despite the recent rough patch, this Warriors team is still a title contender, and when it all clicks into place again, the rest of the NBA will have to deal with the results.