5 Ways the Warriors Can Regain Early-Season Defensive Dominance
When the Golden State Warriors are mentioned in NBA circles, more often than not, the conversation instantly shifts to the team’s formidable offensive attack—and with good reason.
But referring to these Warriors as a squad simply comprised of some of the league’s most effective scorers—most notably Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson—would be doing them a disservice. After years of transformation, Golden State can now also lay claim to the stingiest defense in the Association, as it is holding opponents to just 98 points per 100 possessions through the beginning of March.
As impressive as that may be, though, the numbers indicate that head coach Steve Kerr’s club has actually gotten incrementally worse on that end of the floor as the year has worn on.
Dating all the way back to November, Golden State’s defensive rating has taken a slight hit with each passing month, rising from 95.2 points per 100 possessions in the campaign’s inaugural 30 days to 100.3 points per 100 possessions in February.
Of course, neither of those numbers is bad in any way. But the Warriors' declining defensive effort is definitely worth looking at as we head down the final stretch. That said, it would certainly behoove Golden State to nip this trend in the bud before it’s too late.
Click or swipe through to see how the team can do just that.
Shore Up Rim Protection
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Holding opponents to a meager 42.5 percent shooting from six feet or less in 44 games this year, Andrew Bogut is one of the game’s elite defenders at the rim. But Bogut’s adversaries converted their attempts at 52.1 and 50 percent clips in January and February, respectively.
Considering that Kerr’s defensive schemes call for perimeter defenders to funnel ball-handlers toward Bogut, this could end up being an issue. Take Monday night’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets, for example. The Warriors allowed Brook Lopez and Co. to pour in a whopping 44 points in the paint despite getting solid minutes from both Bogut and Festus Ezeli—who is arguably the team's second-best defender down low.
Not to take anything away from Brooklyn, but Golden State will have to deal with much tougher opponents out West—starting with a potential first-round matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Between Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka and even Enes Kanter, the Dubs are going to have their hands full when it comes to sealing off easy looks at the rim.
The Warriors don’t need to change anything schematically; they’re first in the Western Conference for a reason. But denying their foes of routine paint points is what helped get them there in the first place.
It would be in Golden State's best interest to get back to where it all started.
Cut Down on Personal Fouls
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One of the things that make the Warriors so good defensively is that they rarely foul.
As of March 3, Golden State is averaging just 19.9 personal fouls per game as a team. This number ranks the Warriors in the top half of the NBA, and only one foul separates them from being a top-five team in the league.
Over the past three months, though, the Warriors have seen an uptick in their personal fouls, which have risen from 18.1 per game in December to 19.2 in January and finally 20.5 in February.
Of course, this may not seem like that big a deal at first glance—nevertheless, it is a bit concerning. Of the Dubs’ last six losses, five of them have ended with Golden State’s opponents getting to the charity stripe more often than the Warriors. And considering that the Warriors only have 12 total losses on the season, it makes you wonder if those games could have ended differently had they played a more disciplined brand of defensive basketball.
This is a trend that’s worth keeping an eye on, especially as we head toward the postseason. As the game slows down, the Warriors won’t always be able to play at breakneck speeds, and sending their foes to the free-throw line on a consistent basis will only hurt Golden State in the long run.
Get Justin Holiday More Minutes
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Justin Holiday might not be deserving of 25 minutes per game, but he certainly has a lot to offer the Warriors defensively.
After playing a season-high 14.4 minutes per game in the month of January, Holiday only appeared in five February contests, getting just 4.8 minutes each night out. Conversely, veteran guard Leandro Barbosa has seen his playing time increase from 13.9 minutes per game in January to 16.4 in February.
Although you could argue that Barbosa provides more on the offensive end than Holiday does, the Brazilian Blur handicaps the Golden State defense because of his lack of size.
The Warriors aren't entirely concerned with having a traditional pair of guards, two forwards and a tree in the middle. Rather, they thrive off playing multiple guys of the same size—around 6’7” or 6’8”. The reason for this is simple, as Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com explains:
"For the Warriors, positions mean so little on defense because they've built a roster comprised of guys the same size. The players and coaches call it "versatility," a common set of qualities that allows the team to constantly switch on and off the ball. With Iguodala, Livingston, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes and Justin Holiday, Golden State has a half-dozen long, defensively talented players who stand between 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-8. That height range is perfect for navigating between marking little guys and grappling with big men.
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Given his larger size and athleticism, Holiday is an ideal player in Kerr’s defensive system. The 25-year-old can successfully switch on pick-and-rolls without presenting too much of a mismatch for the other team. The same can’t be said of Barbosa, who at 6’3” would be hard-pressed to check bigger forwards on both the wing and the block.
Hit the Glass
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Despite all of their success, the Warriors have actually been one of the worst teams in the league when it comes to keeping opponents off the offensive glass—second worst, in fact.
To this point in the season, Golden State is surrendering 12.2 offensive rebounds per game, and that number went up to 13.2 during the month of January.
There’s obviously nothing analytical or schematic wrong here. Instead, the Warriors are simply failing to put a body on the other team whenever a shot goes up. As a result, the Dubs are handing opponents extra opportunities to score rather than getting one stop and gaining possession for themselves.
The Warriors don’t have any stellar rebounders on their roster, but the size is there.
Between Green, Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala, David Lee, Marreese Speights, Bogut and Ezeli, this group should have no problem rebounding by committee.
Again, this is an issue that can easily be solved—and it needs to be. While it may be possible to get away with poor rebounding during the regular season, once the postseason rolls around, every possession matters.
Set the Tone Early
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After going down by as many as 26 points against the Boston Celtics Sunday night, the Warriors managed to claw their way back into the game in time to steal a win. But after another slow start against the Nets Monday, it’s important that Golden State sets the tone defensively early and often.
One particular comment Green made after the team’s win over Boston, via Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group, was somewhat alarming, though:
“We know we can score in bunches, and we know we’re capable of putting 10 stops together in a row,” Green said. “With those ingredients, we’re never out of a game.”
As true as that statement may be, the last thing Golden State wants to do is start resting on its laurels down the stretch. Through most of the game against the Celtics, it really seemed as if the Warriors were going to hang around as long as they could and then turn it on at the end to get the win. It worked that night, but the same type of effort against Brooklyn was not enough, as a Jarrett Jack jumper burned Golden State in the final seconds.
Fatigue is certainly a factor, as the Warriors are on one of the longest road trips any NBA team will face this season. But that’s still no excuse.
At the end of the day, the Warriors are too good and too deep to depend on their offense to save them when they don't bring enough effort on the defensive side of the court.
It’s important for Golden State to come out and put the clamps on other teams at the outset—rather than battling to take a game late in the proceedings.
All stats courtesy of NBA.com.
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