DENVER – Effort. There is no stat to measure it. No highlight can capture it. You can’t hear it on the broadcast or feel it in the stands.
But you can see it. And Friday night, the absence of it was glaring.
The Golden State Warriors were annihilated 129-104 by the Denver Nuggets in an Emirates Cup group stage clash, a game that exposed what everyone had feared: the Warriors’ competitive fire is missing. From coach Steve Kerr to veterans like Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler, and even the younger players, the team looked disconnected, lethargic, and flat.
“We just had a lack of purpose and energy, really right from the start,” Kerr said bluntly. “Competitive fire, connection, a competitive edge. We didn’t have it.”
Yes, the Warriors have played without their superstar, Steph Curry, over the past two games. But missing Curry did not excuse the lapses. If anything, it revealed the cracks in the team’s foundation.
The lack of edge was evident in every facet of play, but it was most apparent on defense.
“Our defense sucks,” Green admitted without hesitation. And he’s right. The Warriors have allowed over 120 points in five games this season, losing four of them.
The solution, according to both Green and Quinten Post, is deceptively simple: play with pride, intensity, and accountability.
“We’ve got to take pride in our individual matchups, we all have to play for each other and try to go at these guys on the defensive end, and play with force,” Post said. “Tonight, it didn’t feel like we did that. It felt like we were just kind of passive and let them attack us.”
Green echoed the sentiment but also assumed responsibility for the team’s defensive failures.
“I failed,” he said candidly. “If our defense looks as (expletive) as it does, I’ve failed.”
Yet while veterans like Green took the blame, Kerr and Green both emphasized that younger players must step up. Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, and Jonathan Kuminga combined to shoot just 10 of 29 from the floor. Their struggles on offense appeared to bleed into their effort on defense.
“Yeah, the game didn’t go their way, but there has to be some fire in the belly to get out of a tough night,” Kerr said. “It’s tough as a young player when things aren’t going your way and the game’s not going your way. It’s easy to kind of get down, and you can’t do that in this league.”
Even Jimmy Butler weighed in, stressing that resilience is not the responsibility of the coaching staff.
“Obviously, one of the greatest coaches ever and an incredible coaching staff,” Butler said. “You can’t even point to them, because they put us in the position to be hella successful. It’s on us to go out there and execute. They do a hell of a job getting us ready.”
Now sitting at 5-5, having lost four of their last five games, the Warriors face a crucial stretch. One final home game against Indiana precedes a grueling six-game road trip, a period where intensity and focus will be paramount.
Steph Curry’s return remains uncertain, listed as questionable after an illness. But Kerr has indicated he plans to trim the rotation, a move aimed at concentrating minutes on players who can bring energy and consistency.
“We’ve got a lot to work on, and a lot to consider,” Kerr said. “The competitive fire has to come from within. We need it, and we need it now.”
For the Warriors, the question isn’t just whether they can win games—it’s whether they can rediscover the intensity, connection, and edge that once defined them. Without it, even the most talented roster risks being left behind.
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