Golden State Warriors’ offense is still their greatest flex

The Golden State Warriors are looking to start yet another win streak as they can cap off 2021 with a bang. While their defense has been sensational, their offensive firepower is still the difference-maker.

The Golden State Warriors are one of the league’s best defensive teams but their ability to score in a hurry is what grants them a huge advantage.

Heading into Thursday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Dubs have won four of their last five and have a fair shot at concluding the year with the NBA’s top record. They are neck and neck with Phoenix, both at 25 wins.

Simply being in the run for the first seed is enough for fans who suffered through the last two seasons. Their turnaround this year has been impressive.

The Dubs have never neglected defense. It’s hard not to buy into their defensive scheme when Draymond Green is the one commanding maximum effort from everyone.

No one should be surprised to see the Dubs posting the best Defensive Rating in the NBA. Though, it is impressive to see how no matter what roster changes they overgo throughout the years — their defense remains sturdy.

On the offensive end, having Stephen Curry is quite the treat. As long as Curry is playing like the MVP, Golden State will have a top-notch offense.

However, Curry was in full nuclear mode for much of last season while the Dubs had a top-three defense. Still, they finished outside of the playoffs due to a slow start and stumbling in the Play-In tournament.

What’s different this year? Again, the defense has grown even stronger — but the Warriors’ offense is also playing with an additional pop. The ball is buzzing and each member of the team offers something of use to their scoring efforts.

The Warriors actually scored more points per game last year than this season — but that’s true for just about every NBA team. The rate at which teams score this year has been drastically reduced due to rule changes.

Because of this, the Dubs’ 111.5 points per game is good for the fifth-most in the league compared to when 113.7 points were just the 12th most.

Golden State is a perfect 17-0 this season when they score 100+ points — a good indicator that when they are at their best offensively, few teams can keep up.

In what is another treat for Dubs’ fans — and perhaps a reason to panic for the rest of the league — Klay Thompson is expected to return in January. This grants the Warriors another elite perimeter defender and perhaps the greatest catch-and-shoot player of all time.