Warriors Waves: What I learned from the first three games.

The Santa Cruz Warriors are now at 2-1 after sweeping the Reno Bighorns and being humbled by the Bakersfield Jam, so what did we learn about them in their first action?

Offensive Struggles-

The Warriors have been shooting a solid 43.7 percent from the field in their first three games, so at first glance it would seem the Warriors have their offense firing on all cylinders. Although they are shooting a solid percentage, the stat that stands out is their turnovers.

In their three games the Warriors have lost the turnover battle twice and are averaging a little more than 23 tournovers a game. These turnovers have come from forcing plays or shots when there's nothing there.

The assist stat says it all. No player has recorded more than six assists. Now, we all know that Rome wasn't built in a day, so there's the benefit of doubt that the players are still getting accustomed to each other. Both Hannah and Baker have shown signs that they'll look to pass more than shoot in the future; however, for the offense to be at it's best Hannah must look for his shot and getting it going early.

Hustle & Fight-

What has been saving the Warriors on the offensive end is their second chance points. Winning the rebounding battle is key in the game of basketball and the Warriors have done that in all three of their games. While winning the overall rebounding battle is critical, the Warriors have gone the extra mile and have won the offensive rebounding battle in two of their three games.

Taylor Griffin and Mickell Gladness have been absolute monsters on the glass and through their rebounding they have given the team second chance opportunities that they've thrived on.

Energy on Defense-

The Defense has been solid through the first three games. Not just with blocks, rebounds and steals, but also with the little things. The close outs on outside shooters have been fast and under control. The switches and help defense has been tight as well.

From the very beginning of training camp Coach Nate Bjorkgren has preached defense and energy, and now because of his focus on those aspects they have looked solid. It's also notable that they're just letting their athleticism do the thinking and letting the game come to them.

On many occasions they have done the right thing and trusted their eyes to lead them to a steal. Bottom line, they're not thinking, they're reacting and that leads to tough defense.