Draymond Green has labelled the Golden State Warriors as "very fragile" after their 1-5 road trip which left the reigning champions 11th in the Western Conference and below .500.
The Warriors had started the six-game road trip with an outstanding 16-point win over last season's NBA Finals opponents, the Boston Celtics, but lost their next five to be 3-16 on the road this season.
Golden State, who lost reigning NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry to a shoulder injury during the road trip, have lost seven of their past nine games.
"Right now, I think we are very fragile," Green told reporters on Friday after practice.
"You start going through these things and then you start believing them. Once you start believing them, it becomes who you are. The only way to break them is by being mentally tough."
The Warriors suffered back-to-back 30-point losses for the first time since 2001 to round out the road trip.
"I think this is a team that has struggled from the spirit perspective since [the road trip started]," Green said.
"It's a bit more frustrating. You can make what you want of it being on the road versus being at home, but it's mental. It's a team struggling mentally and that makes it hard to overcome anything else.
"It's not something that's going to be fixed with the snap of a finger. You've got to work through these issues to get that confidence.
"It's just not showing up. As much as you'd like to think, 'Oh, we'll be fine and this guy will come back.' No, no, no. You've got to work [for] positive outcomes, positive feelings, that ultimately give you that boost of confidence."
Despite their struggles, Green remained confident that the Warriors could make an impact in the playoffs, even without the benefit of a high seeding.
"I feel sorry for the one or two seeds if we're in that situation," Green said. "Is Steph Curry still on this team? Klay Thompson? Me? I think we would be fine."