The start of the Golden State Warriors 2019-20 season is different for everyone— the players, the fanbase and even the television networks. The Warriors were once the definition of must-watch television, “Splash Brothers,” Draymond Green barking at Kevin Durant, Steve Kerr breaking clipboards, and JaVale McGee “Shaqtin’ a fool.”
Fast forward to 2019, and there’s no Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, or Kevin Durant, just more Kerr breaking clipboards than anything else. Now, most of the Warriors star power is located on the bench as the team leads in the NBA in games missed due to injury.
Curry, Thompson, Green and D’Angelo Russell have all missed significant time with injury in 2019. 15-All-Star appearances combined, all on the mend.
Now, with the league’s worst record, the Warriors are running out players like Willie Cauley-Stein. Glenn Robinson III and Alec Burks as headliners—not exactly household names. The Warriors best ticket might be their 2019 second-round draft pick, Eric Paschall.
Because of injuries and lack of cache, the Warriors television ratings have unsurprisingly dipped. John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal reported Golden State’s ratings on their local network, NBC Sports Bay Area are down 51 percent. It’s not just Golden State that is struggling, ESPN and TNT’s NBA ratings are down according to Ourand.
The Warriors’ bad news regarding television doesn’t stop there as the league announced two upcoming games would be flexed out of national television. December 13 in Utah and December 17 in Portland, will no longer be televised on ESPN.
While the Warriors are struggling, it may be a good idea for the team to take a step back from the national stage and continue to develop. When Curry and Thompson make their return to the lineup, the Warriors will likely be back to getting a litter of nationally televised games.
