Calling all Bay Area natives. It is time to panic about your 2023 Golden State Warriors.

The Golden State Warriors have brought their fans an abundance of joy over the last eight years, bringing home four NBA championships and generating one of the greatest dynasties in sports history, but fans have not experienced stress like this in years.

To everybody’s surprise, the Warriors got off to a rocky start to begin the season. Rough patches were nothing new to this team, or any team for that matter, so fans expected it to fizzle out.

Fast forward to now. The Warriors are 58 games into the season, and they are still amidst this rough patch. The panic button is looking extremely enticing. It might be time to hit it.

29 wins. 29 losses. The 9th seed in the Western Conference. This is not the team the NBA world saw hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy just eight months ago.

Turning the ball over has been a major issue for this team. Over the course of the season, the Warriors have given the ball away more than any other team in the NBA, outside of the Houston Rockets.

Defense has also been a primary problem for the Dubs, considering they allow the 4th-most points per game in the NBA.

Last offseason, they lost defensive juggernaut Gary Payton II in free agency to the Portland Trail Blazers. He was an anchor on the defensive side of the ball for this group, and his void has yet to be filled.

However, the Warriors received Payton II back in a four-team trade on February 9. This was a win-now move for the Dubs, as they shipped 21-year-old James Wiseman to Detroit in the deal.

To make matters worse, during trade negotiations with the Warriors, the Trail Blazers did not acknowledge a lingering injury that Payton II was battling. Now his impact on the team will be delayed, as he will be sidelined for at least one month.

Stephen Curry, the 2 time regular season MVP and star of this franchise, has also been dealing with an injury of his own, and he has not been on the court since February 4. His return date is still unknown, but Warriors fans are trusting that he’ll be back sooner rather than later.

A few key players need to step up, especially with Curry out for an undetermined amount of time.

Jordan Poole, who earned a max contract extension in the offseason, has been severely underperforming thus far into the year. His sloppiness and inefficiency are evident through his 3.3 turnovers per game, which is the tenth worst in the NBA, and his 33.5% shooting from three.

Andrew Wiggins, an incredibly valuable piece during their 2022 title run, suffered an injury in December, forcing him to miss a month of action. He is still working on finding his rhythm, but Dubs fans are hoping he can get it clicking soon.

Klay Thompson, a beloved fan-favorite in Golden State, has not reached the level of play that he has shown prior to suffering two major leg injuries. Improvements and strides have been noticeable, but he is still striving to recover his groove that he once had.

Players like Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, Jonathan Kuminga, and Donte DiVincenzo have been filling their roles excellently. Carrying these contributions into the final stretch of the regular season will be vital towards the Warriors’ title chances.

As stressful as this may be for Dubs fans, one thing that this club has that the others don’t is playoff experience. This main core has won four NBA titles together. When the playoffs roll around, assuming the Warriors squeak their way in, this will be a difficult team to face in a seven-game series, regardless of their seed.

The Warriors still have a chance to bring home another title, but it will not be a smooth road there.