NBA Power Rankings: Listing the 10-Best Defensive Teams
By John Kim
5. Golden State Warriors
May 2, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson (11) controls the ball against Denver Nuggets shooting guard Andre Iguodala (9) during the third quarter of game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The Warriors have improved their defense by leaps and bounds over the past two seasons. After ranking 26th and 27th in the two seasons prior, the Warriors had a 105.5 defensive rating (14th) last season. It’s important to note that the Warriors’ best defensive player, Andrew Bogut, did not play for much of the season and their second best defensive player, Klay Thompson, did not embrace the role until half the season had expired.
The Warriors picked up one of the league’s best wing-defenders in Andre Iguodala. With Thompson and Iguodala available to guard both the wing and quick guards, the Warriors have solidified the best defensive backcourt.
Stephen Curry and David Lee are still both defensive liabilities but their shortcomings should be compensated by three above-average to great defenders in Thompson, Iguodala, and Bogut.
Mark Jackson has molded a team that gives full effort on defense from the starting lineup to the ends of the bench. Players like Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and Festus Ezeli will be some of the best defensive bench players in the league, further solidifying the Warriors as one of the league’s best defensive teams.
The Warriors have the ability to become one of the top two or three defensive teams in the league with their starting lineup. As of now, the only reason they have dropped so far down the ranking is that they have not repeated success before.