Defensive focus is key for Warriors to reestablish championship identity originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – For all the offensive fireworks provided by the Warriors over the years between the star power of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and many others in their decade as a dynastyit was always the other side of the ball that had them counting championship rings on their fingers. Always.
Even at 36 years old, the whole world knows that Steph Curry can still score 30 points with ease and explode for 40-point performances – or even more. The Warriors are confident the Klay Thompson void can be filled by the love Andrew WigginsJonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and others. But for them to avoid the play-in tournament, be a playoff team and have a fighting chance, strengthening their defense will be a top priority.
“We have to get back to playing defense at a high level,” Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said Thursday at Chase Center. “We have to at least be top five, six or seven in the league on defense. This really is the recipe here from the beginning.
The Warriors last season, when they won 46 games but finished 10th in the Western Conference and were crushed by the Sacramento Kings in the play-in tournament, were not among the top five, six or seven teams in the league in terms of defense. rating. Not even in the top 10. Their defensive rating of 114.5 put them right in the middle of the NBA, at 15th overall.
Eight Western Conference teams had a better defensive rating than them.
When the Warriors won their last championship in 2022, they had a defensive rating of 106.6, which was best in the West and second overall in the NBA. Only the Boston Celtics, the team the Warriors beat in the NBA Finals, had a better defensive rating at 106.2.
Beginning with their first title under coach Steve Kerr in 2015, the Warriors have finished first, sixth, second, 11th and again 11th in team defensive rating during their streak of five consecutive trips to the Finals . The last two seasons, they also finished third and first in offensive rating with a team featuring top-notch Curry, Thompson and Durant.
“Our transition defense fell off the map last year,” Kerr said. “Maximum emphasis will be placed on strengthening these elements.”
The numbers show that Kerr isn’t exaggerating either.
Golden State allowed the sixth-most points in transition per game, and the Warriors’ 1.17 points per possession allowed in transition was third in the NBA. The Warriors were in the 17th percentile in transition defense, watching others run past them.
There is, however, reason to be encouraged. The Warriors are extremely excited to have a healthy Gary Payton II, knowing how important his availability will be to their success. Added Kyle Anderson and De’Anthony Melton should be a defensive asset. Trayce Jackson-Davis has been a difference maker as a rim protector, and Draymond Green is still a threat to opposing offenses.
“I just want to get really good at that end again, knowing that we can rely on our ability to make stops regardless of the ranking,” Kerr said.
Kerr and Dunleavy also know the Warriors need to improve in transition on offense as well. They were the fourth-worst team in transition points per game last season, and also ranked fourth in transition points per possession. Only the Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls averaged fewer transition points per game than the Warriors last season.
The Blazers have won a Western Conference-low 21 games, the same number of wins as the Hornets. The Bulls were a 39-win team, far from where the Warriors wanted to be.
“I think there’s a mentality that we have to achieve, and that’s going to be a big part of the trip to Hawaii and the next few weeks will change our mentality, including the change of possession,” Kerr said. “The first guy to move wins, and we fought against the second guy last year. We were a very reactionary transition team in both directions.
“On offense, our problem was turnovers. We’ve turned it over too many times. We need to improve our transition spacing. We’ll work on all that at camp. We need to improve our decision-making. Hopefully with that comes some maturity for our younger players, but also some high IQ basketball from our newer players. Steph and Draymond need to lead the charge in this regard.
“As a coaching staff, we need to explain exactly what that means to improve the transition in both directions. This will require a lot of drilling.
Hosting a training camp in Hawaii will help create bonds between everyone. Kerr also made it clear that the real goal, amid the palm trees and beaches, is to create an identity that these Warriors can proudly build on for all 82 games and beyond.
