Golden State Warriors: 3 Reasons Why Toney Douglas Is a Great Signing

April 14, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Sacramento Kings point guard Toney Douglas (0) dribbles the ball against the Houston Rockets in the fourth quarter at the Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the Kings 121-100. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors have signed point guard Toney Douglas according to ESPN New York.

The 6’2’’ guard has played for three teams during his four years in the NBA and has served as a backup point guard for most of that time. With the loss of Jarrett Jack, the Warriors looked to add depth to the point guard position and landed on Douglas.

Efficiency

The first thing that strikes you when you look at Douglas’ stats is his productiveness given his limited playtime. During his 22-game tenure with the Kings, he averaged 6.1 points, 2.6 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals in just 17.1 minutes of action. He shot an efficient 43 percent on 5.2 attempts on the field, and demonstrated his range with his 38.9 percent on 2.5 attempts from beyond the arc. All that with only 1.1 turnovers in that time.

Now, admittedly it’s a small sample size, the fact that he was still able to do so much with such little time is a testament to his ability to instantly influence the game when he gets the chance.

April 10, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings point guard Toney Douglas (0) high fives power forward Jason Thompson (34) after the basket against the New Orleans Hornets during the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the New Orleans Hornets 121-110. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Credible Offensive Game

The second thing that strikes you is that he is just as efficient driving to the rim as he is stepping back and shooting the three-pointer. This is the most important part about Douglas’ game for the Warriors because he can space the floor with his credible three-point shot, but he is also not afraid to put down the ball and drive to the hoop, as 22.5 percent of all his attempts this past year came at the rim according to Basketball-Refrence.com.

Douglas’ weakness offensively seems to be the shots in between rim and three-point stripe. He shot just 32.4 percent on shots greater than three feet from the basket but within the three-point line. As long as he stays away from taking those shots and focuses on either shooting, driving or distributing, Douglas will achieve his most efficient state.

Defense

The third most impressive thing about Douglas game is his defense. The Warriors are not exactly known for their defensive ability, but the signing of free agents like Andre Iguodala and Douglas will help change that identity.

As mentioned above, the former King averaged 1.4 steals per 17.1 minutes. Stephen Curry and Jarrett Jack averaged 1.6 steals and 0.8 steals playing significantly more minutes. In fact, if the stats were normalized to 36 minutes, Douglas would double Curry in steals and more than triple Jack. His tenacious as a perimeter defender and his above average size as a point guard will allow him to bully other guards and create defensive stops and points off those opportunities.