Is the Golden State Warriors’ improved defense for real?

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 08: Willie Cauley-Stein #2 of the Golden State Warriors defends against Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the game at Target Center on November 8, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 08: Willie Cauley-Stein #2 of the Golden State Warriors defends against Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the game at Target Center on November 8, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

No – things will regress back to how they were

1. Lacking individual greatness

Aside from Draymond, the Warriors really don’t have any great individual defenders (yet).

Glenn Robinson III has admirably taken on the role of guarding the opponents’ best wings, but he is still not the lock-down type of the defender like we were used to seeing with Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala on the perimeter.

Luka Doncic made this as clear as day in the Mavs’ last route of the Dubs. Someone has to be able to stop the stars of this league with some good ol’ fashioned 1-on-1.

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2. Interior presence

While Cauley-Stein has shown improvement as of late, I am still not convinced that he will become a defensive presence in the paint.

Overall, he has been easily exploited by opposing bigs and has provided little resistance to driving guards. It’s great to see him turn it around over this small sample size lately, but if the Warriors intend to continue to use him as the main big man, we need to see continued improvement night in and night out.

Hopefully, Looney can regain his health and step in as a reliable defender in the paint to complement WCS.

3. Changes on the horizon

Trade rumors have been swirling around the Dubs and there is a good chance that the roster could be shaken up over the next couple weeks.

There is no way to tell if any potential move will make the Warriors immediately better or worse this year, but if we swap a player for a pick, for example, we could see a decline in the short term.

Also, don’t forget that Damion Lee and Ky Bowman are on soon-to-expire two-way contracts. The front office finds itself in a situation where they either need to let these guys walk, or move someone off the roster to make room. Shake the roster up enough and we could be back at square one. (See ‘cohesion’ above).

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Time will tell if the Dubs’ D is for real or if fans have been teased with a lucky spurt. Regardless, the Warriors sure have been fun to watch with this new-found focus on the defensive end.