bdonovan
01-28-2023, 10:30 AM
https://www.espn.com/nba/stats/team/_/view/opponent/table/offensive/sort/avgPoints/dir/asc
The Warriors give up 118 points per game, tied for 4th worst in the NBA. The teams that are worse than them in D are hopeless overall_ Pistons, Hornets, Spurs.
Compare this to last year - when the Warriors were the 3rd BEST team in defense, giving up just 105.5 pts/game (https://www.espn.com/nba/stats/team/_/view/opponent/season/2022/seasontype/2/table/offensive/sort/avgPoints/dir/asc).
So, what happened?
The temptation is to attribute the difference to personnel. But the starting unit for the Warriors is the same as last year. GSW has lost Gary Payton II off the bench but the NBA is about team defense, not merely individual talents. Yes, Warriors have been hampered by injuries but what team isn't. The bench is a factor but unlikely to account for a 10+ point swing in points allowed.
Chemistry might be an issue from Draymond walloping Poole? Hard to measure.
I believe one reason the Warriors have fallen apart on defense is coaching. Ron Adams was responsible for the team D from the Warriors first championship in 2014-5 and the following years. During those years, the Warriors had one of the best D's in the game.
Adams is now 75 years old and doesn't seem to be as active as in the past. Now, it's mainly Warriors Asst. Coach Kenny Atkinson, who is effectively doing most of the defensive coaching- used to be head coach for the Nets. Atkinson had an unremarkable coaching career, having a losing record and not known as a defensive expert.
Added to this, Head coach Steve Kerr is becoming more vocal and taking a lead on the defensive mindset. Which is disastrous as Kerr was not a good defender and seems to know little about it.
Kerr's constant admonition to "play defense without fouling" is like telling a baseball hitter to "hit for extra bases but don't swing and miss at pitches".
Defense is a mindset. You either play fearlessly or you guard timidly. It's just impractical advice and spoils the intensity level needed. It over-castigates players for fouling, which while undesirable and speeds entry into the penalty, rarely results in games lost, in and of itself.
Kerr over-reacts to defensive fouls, causing him to bench players for committing a single foul; and thereby discouraging the team (esp. the new players) from playing hard-nosed defense if it means facing consequences from the coach.
While Draymond is the on-court defensive leader, they still need a strategic leader guiding the entire team defensively.
As the stats show, the Warriors have lost their way, defensively. We can only theorize as to the cause.
The Warriors give up 118 points per game, tied for 4th worst in the NBA. The teams that are worse than them in D are hopeless overall_ Pistons, Hornets, Spurs.
Compare this to last year - when the Warriors were the 3rd BEST team in defense, giving up just 105.5 pts/game (https://www.espn.com/nba/stats/team/_/view/opponent/season/2022/seasontype/2/table/offensive/sort/avgPoints/dir/asc).
So, what happened?
The temptation is to attribute the difference to personnel. But the starting unit for the Warriors is the same as last year. GSW has lost Gary Payton II off the bench but the NBA is about team defense, not merely individual talents. Yes, Warriors have been hampered by injuries but what team isn't. The bench is a factor but unlikely to account for a 10+ point swing in points allowed.
Chemistry might be an issue from Draymond walloping Poole? Hard to measure.
I believe one reason the Warriors have fallen apart on defense is coaching. Ron Adams was responsible for the team D from the Warriors first championship in 2014-5 and the following years. During those years, the Warriors had one of the best D's in the game.
Adams is now 75 years old and doesn't seem to be as active as in the past. Now, it's mainly Warriors Asst. Coach Kenny Atkinson, who is effectively doing most of the defensive coaching- used to be head coach for the Nets. Atkinson had an unremarkable coaching career, having a losing record and not known as a defensive expert.
Added to this, Head coach Steve Kerr is becoming more vocal and taking a lead on the defensive mindset. Which is disastrous as Kerr was not a good defender and seems to know little about it.
Kerr's constant admonition to "play defense without fouling" is like telling a baseball hitter to "hit for extra bases but don't swing and miss at pitches".
Defense is a mindset. You either play fearlessly or you guard timidly. It's just impractical advice and spoils the intensity level needed. It over-castigates players for fouling, which while undesirable and speeds entry into the penalty, rarely results in games lost, in and of itself.
Kerr over-reacts to defensive fouls, causing him to bench players for committing a single foul; and thereby discouraging the team (esp. the new players) from playing hard-nosed defense if it means facing consequences from the coach.
While Draymond is the on-court defensive leader, they still need a strategic leader guiding the entire team defensively.
As the stats show, the Warriors have lost their way, defensively. We can only theorize as to the cause.