The Golden State Warriors have reached the midway point of the season and are currently sitting at the eighth seed in the Western Conference while a game below .500. 

In what can only be described as a rollercoaster of a season thus far, the Warriors have plenty of kinks to iron out as the team heads into the next 41 games. Among the various storylines this season has provided, they find themselves in an unusual position. 

With what we’ve seen from these Warriors, I’m giving the team a C. The team is far from perfect, but there’s still plenty of time to switch things around. Here’s my breakdown:

The Two Timelines
Let’s address the elephant in the room. The two timeline plan hasn’t been working. The Warriors have dedicated four roster spots to the future — guards Jordan Poole and Moses Moody, forward Jonathan Kuminga and center James Wiseman. 

Poole was given his lucrative $4 year, $140 million extension this past summer, but has struggled to live up to the bigger role. Poole is no longer the Warriors’ secret weapon, as teams have more film to study on him, and it has shown with their coverages. His inconsistencies have really hurt the team, especially since he’s expected to lead the second unit. Leads would often dissipate once the bench unit comes in because players like Poole aren’t producing as efficiently and often as the Warriors hoped. Though his numbers aren’t terrible — averaging 20.8 points and 4.5 assists and shooting 42% from the field — he’s constantly turning the ball over on simple mistakes and hasn’t been putting much effort on the defensive end either.  

With the guard-heavy lineup, Moody hasn’t seen much playing time and is out of the rotation entirely. It’s been a difficult second year for the former No. 14 overall pick, but Moody still has room to improve and will. As for Wiseman, the injury bug has struck once again. When he’s not in the G League, he’s been injured. It’s hard to say what the future holds for Wiseman and if the Warriors should consider moving him when the trade deadline comes around. 

Kuminga has been the one player out of the youngsters that has shown the most growth. He’s really taken his assignments on the defensive end to heart and locked it down — taking the challenge of Dallas Mavericks forward Luka Doncic, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, and several other stars around the league. Kuminga’s seven-foot wingspan helps plenty, and his offense is coming along nicely as well. But, Kuminga has been sidelined with a foot injury, and it’s painfully obvious that the Warriors are missing his defensive presence.

With the two timelines not meshing as the Warriors hoped it would, that leaves the bench severely thin. Guard Donte DiVincenzo has thrived in his role as the backup facilitating guard, but besides DiVincenzo, the Warriors had to rely heavily on two-way players Ty Jerome and Anthony Lamb. Though Jerome and Lamb had their moments on these limited deals, the Warriors can only expect so much out of them in the long run. 

Forward JaMychal Green is still out with an illness, and the Warriors just got Andre Iguodala back. With the team experiencing injuries and inconsistencies from their players, this has hurt the bench unit and Golden State as a whole. 

The Good Moments
Despite the Warriors and their inconsistencies, there have been plenty of good moments so far. 

Warriors guard Klay Thompson has had incredible games — going off for 41 points versus the Houston Rockets on Nov. 20 and silencing the doubters again for 52 points versus the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 2. Thompson is also averaging 20.8 points on the season and is shooting 38.5% from 3-point range on the year. 

The Warriors also defeated the Celtics in a Finals rematch and still boast one of the best home records in the NBA — sitting at 17-5. 

The Warriors had a skeleton of a team and were forced to give heavy rotational minutes to Jerome and Lamb with all the injuries and still went 5-3 on their recent home stand — both showed up in big moments and the Warriors proved they still can have great value. 

Why it’s Not Time to Hit the Panic Button Just Yet
It’s safe to say that the Warriors season has been unpredictable and sometimes frustrating. But, the Warriors pulled off an improbable win versus the Atlanta Hawks in double overtime. Then, the Warriors had their hearts broken by a last minute heave by Detroit Pistons forward (and possible trade target) Saddiq Bey. That’s just the NBA sometimes. 

Just like any other season, the Western Conference is once again unpredictable. Other than the top three seeds, the four through eight seeds are all separated by a slim margin. The Warriors were the sixth seed for two days before bumping down to the eight seed. 

There’s still 41 games remaining in the season and plenty of time to figure things out. The one positive from all the injuries was that Head Coach Steve Kerr was forced to throw the youngsters into the fire and they were able to stay afloat. Now, with the added trust and Kerr solidifying his rotations, the Warriors could put on a stretch of good games and be up in the Western Conference before we know it. It’s not time to hit the panic button just yet.

(Photo credit: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)