Golden State Warriors are struggling in the rebounding department
By Tony Pesta
So far in the preseason, the Golden State Warriors have struggled in the rebounding department.
Rebounding is an important aspect for every NBA team. More often than not, the squad that wins the battle on the glass winds up winning the game. For the Golden State Warriors, rebounding the ball has been an issue.
It’s easy to overreact to preseason trends, but it is worth noting that the Dubs have ranked towards the bottom of the barrel in terms of rebounding. Of 37 organizations to compete in the preseason (international teams included) the Warriors placed 36th for opponent offensive rebounds.
Steve Kerr has expressed his displeasure with the Dubs rebounding ability, stating “It had everything to do with a lack of focus, lack of attention to detail.”
Steve Kerr’s #1 Warriors preseason issue: “There’ve been 37 teams who’ve played exhibition basketball — so 30 NBA teams and seven international. We’re 36th in opponent offensive rebounding...I’m confident, if we box out, we can pass Haifa and maybe even the Shanghai Sharks.” pic.twitter.com/lSjPDgRe7C
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 14, 2019
Kerr doesn’t think that the Warriors are lacking size. Players such as Marquese Chriss, Kevon Looney and Willie Cauley-Stein are big enough to get the job done. Rather, the team needs to work harder and put themselves in better positions to grab the ball.
Half of the battle in rebounding is getting good positioning. All the size in the world doesn’t matter if you’re stuck behind a player who is properly boxing out. This is a major reason why undersized players such as Russell Westbrook and Dennis Rodman have been so successful at snatching rebounds.
The Warriors should be able to clean up this issue once the regular season begins. After all, the Dubs frontcourt is still slightly inexperienced. Looney, Chriss and Cauley-Stein will have to improve as the Warriors begin to count on them more and more.
Allowing offensive rebounds is a recipe for disaster. The Warriors are already vulnerable defensively without Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala or Klay Thompson for much of the season. If they fail to rebound the ball, their defensive woes will increase as the play doesn’t end until someone reels in the board.
We all know how crucial it is that the Dubs improve in this aspect. Without proper rebounding, the Dubs margin for error shrinks significantly. Hopefully, the Warriors big men are ready to take on the challenge.