Rough starts for area’s pro teams

None of the teams are what to anyone would consider great starts, so there are a lot of questions and concerns for all three franchises.

Golden State Warriors

It usually takes a little longer, but it took only four games to show that the Warriors don’t give a rip about the regular season as they’ve opened with a 2-2 mark.

And so far, they also they haven’t given much thought to playing defense, either. After getting throttled by Phoenix Tuesday, 134-105, Golden State, through four games, is allowing an average of 124 points per game. Conversely, the Warriors are scoring an average of 120 points per game.

It’ll probably take a little longer than usual for Golden State to find its defensive footing. It’s clear the losses of Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr. and Juan Toscano-Anderson have affected the team’s defense. The Warriors got a little veteran toughness in JaMychal Green, but are also complementing him with the likes of James Wiseman, Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga. All three have tremendous upside. All three are still super young. It’s going to take time for them to learn to play elite-level defense and that’s what it will take to win another NBA title.

Maybe more concerning is the fact that the Warriors are shooting just 33.5% from behind the 3-point arc, including shooting games of 28.6% against the Lakers in the opener and 23.8% against Sacramento.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers have endured slings and arrows so far this season. Considering the 3-4 record and disappointing losses to Chicago, Denver and Atlanta before being absolutely exposed by the Kansas City Chiefs last week, it’s not hard to see why.

Jimmy Garoppolo is who everyone knows he is. A leaky offensive line, scores of injuries (again), special teams that are anything but, and just a general malaise in play calling has led to a lot of questions by 49ers fans.

Fingers have been pointed at nearly everyone, including head coach Kyle Shanahan. While the players certainly bear some of the accountability, Shanahan is the captain of the ship and ultimately performance and execution falls at his feet.

I think what a majority of fans want to see is Shanahan take the brakes off his offense. All we’ve heard about since he got to San Francisco is how great an offensive schemer Shanahan is. Yet we’ve rarely seen it. Let’s see if the team can change gears midseason and move off the ball-control offense and see if they can connect on some quick-strike opportunities. The days of scoring 20 points and relying on the defense is over. The NFL has become a touchdown league. Right now, the 49ers are a field goal team.

San Jose Sharks

The 2022-23 San Jose Sharks team is bad — like expansion level bad.

Nine games into the season, the Sharks are just 2-7. They lost their first five games to start the season and are coming off a 4-2 loss to Vegas Tuesday night during which the Golden Knights scored three, third-period goals. The team is comprised of a few of names from the team’s heyday — Logan Couture, Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl, Marc-Edourd Vlasic and Erik Karlsson — who are joined by a bevy of free agents and some youngsters who they are trying to develop.

But more importantly, San Jose’s offense has been anemic this season. The Sharks have scored three goals only twice and have scored only one third-period goal in nine games.

A new general manager, a new head coach and staff, and new faces can easily add up to a slow start, which is what you would expect from a team that is rebuilding.

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: 344-5200 ext. 117. To report scores or tips, email sports@smdailyjournal.com.