The stat is quite eloquent. In the 55 games in which Draymond Green was able to play this season, the Warriors had a defensive efficiency of 113.5 points conceded per 100 possessions, which placed them in 11th place in the NBA. But in the 27 games the interior missed, Golden State's defensive efficiency dropped to 121.1 points conceded per 100 possessions. Which placed them… in last place in the entire league!
“But you can't just say, 'Well, as long as Draymond is healthy, we can get by defensively.' explains Steve Kerr. “We must progress. I have to do a better job. Our staff needs to do a better job. And we need to study all the parameters. »
Especially as the league continues to evolve.
“It’s not just about patterns and squads” continues the coach. “It’s also about the fact that the rest of the league has progressed. And how different things are, with the shooting and the rhythm. It's so, so much harder to defend. This is why offensive efficiencies have exploded. »
Ensures the defensive withdrawal before going for the offensive rebound?
Steve Kerr still reminds us that Golden State has some guarantees when Draymond Green is on the field. But the coach knows that there are also a lot of questions, in particular knowing who can defend against the opposing ball carrier. For a long time, it was Klay Thompson, but the “Splash Brother” no longer has the speed to do it, while Gary Payton II is too fragile and Andrew Wiggins is on AC.
Finding a player capable of taking on this vital role will be a key to the Warriors' offseason, as Steve Kerr confesses the club will also consider its priorities on missed shots.
Aware of being a good rebounding team, the Bay players were instructed to try to recover their missed shots (31.5% of offensive rebounds recovered, the 4th mark in the league). Except that Steve Kerr admits that it ultimately penalized their defensive withdrawal, a recurring problem this season for the team.
“We put an emphasis on offensive rebounds this year, and that may have hurt our fast-play defense. We need to study this. We are a very good offensive rebounding team, but our fast-play defense was much worse than last year. So we need to look at that. We may need to change that – not necessarily our strategy, but perhaps our execution. We need to be more careful about where we attack from and how often we do it.”
