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3 reasons why the Golden State Warriors have started the season on fire

By Nathan Beighle

Nov 5, 2021; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole (3) reacts after hitting a 3-pointer during the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 5, 2021; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole (3) reacts after hitting a 3-pointer during the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /
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(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Why Golden State Warriors are hot: Desire to defend

Teams that win 13 games in a 15-game span don’t typically do it because they’re just surging offensively.

While that’s certainly been a huge aspect of the Warriors’ early-season success, their defense has been just as important. The Warriors have the No. 1 defensive rating in the NBA. With a 98.8 defensive rating, they’re the only team with a rating under 102.

The comradery that their team possesses has been a huge part of their success. Even with former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green, it’s key to have a system that revolves and feeds off of the leadership that Green provides. The Warriors have that.

While Jordan Poole and Stephen Curry aren’t an elite defensive backcourt, Green and the much-improved Andrew Wiggins have been able to make up for any shortcomings. They also rank fourth in opponent’s offensive rebounding rate which helps keep their rating so low.

From rebounding to on-ball defending, the Warriors being able to lock up almost every opponent (Kevin Durant shot the worst percentage of his season against Golden State) has been pivotal in their 13-2 start.

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