Town’s Finest Week 10: Warriors Show Strength in Adversity

LOCKDOWN ON DEFENSE

When fans and some sports pundits think about the Golden State Warriors, they think of their offense. However, their defense that is the catalyst for the offense.

The Warriors run a system based on switches and pressure on the perimeter. Despite leading the league in blocks, the Warriors that have regressed in their perimeter defense.

The Warriors allow an average of 14 uncontested threes per game. However, opponents are shooting 41 percent from deep, up five percent from last season.

Recently, Draymond Green sat down with the Athletic’s Anthony Slater about the state of the defense. In this insightful interview, he mentioned how the emphasis on the three has affected how he plays defense.

“There are several games where I see guys getting in the paint” Green recalls, “And I know I’d usually be in the paint breaking that up. But all of a sudden, I’m thinking ‘Oh I can’t go because I can’t give up this 3”

Green also discussed the concept of defensive rhythm, and how he find his.

“It’s more of a focus thing, being more aggressive” Green said, ” That’s what I’ve been doing of late, being more aggressive  on switch outs, way more aggressive on the ball and coming over to help.”

Currently, the Warriors are sixth in the league in defensive efficiency. With more discipline and focus, the Warriors can and will round their defense into playoff form.