It's rarely mentioned, but when the Warriors dominated the NBA, they also relied on a great defense. With Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Andrew Bogut, the team was capable of dominating opponents with its physical density and mobility. As the franchise begins a new chapter after the departure of Klay Thompson, Mike Dunleavy Jr. wants the group to impose itself on this side of the field.
“We need to find a high-level defense,” Warns Warriors GM. “We have to be in the top five, six, seven in the league in terms of defense. This is really the recipe from the beginning.”
In 2022, the Warriors had the 2nd ranked defense in the country
Last season, the Warriors clearly did not shine in this sector with 114.5 points conceded over 100 possessions. A defensive “efficiency” which placed it in the middle of the NBA, in 15th place. Two years ago, however, the Warriors conceded 106.6 points per 100 possessions, and they finished number 1 in the Western Conference, and 2nd in the entire NBA. From 2015 to 2017, Stephen Curry's teammates ranked 1st, 6th then 2nd in the league.
“Our transition defense collapsed last season, and the focus will be on this during camp” announces Steve Kerr, whose team ranked 28th out of 30 for points conceded on transition. Only the Blazers, Hornets and Bulls conceded more points on transition…
Be in action, not reaction
To help him correct this big gap, the Warriors coach can count on a Gary Payton II who is finally 100%, a re-motivated Draymond Green, but also interesting recruits like Kyle Anderson and De'Anthony Melton.
“Whatever our ranking [parmi les meilleures défenses]I just want to get back to being very good in transition play, knowing that we can count on our ability to make stops,” specifies the Golden State coach, who recalls that it is first and foremost a question of state of mind. “There's a mindset we need to get to, and that's going to be a big part of the trip to Hawaii and the next few weeks, is changing our mindset and understanding possession changes. The first player to move wins, and last year we were the second player. In attack as in defense, we were in the reaction on the transition game. »
