Golden State Warriors philosophical and rotational shift shown in one key statistic

The Golden State Warriors returned to winning form against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, overcoming a double-digit first-half deficit to record a 112-102 victory.

Again playing without franchise superstar Stephen Curry, the Warriors needed to find a different avenue of offense. That they did, once again recording over 50 points in the paint despite the presence of the league's leading shot-blocker in Victor Wembanyama.

A key philosophical and rotational shift is showing up for the Golden State Warriors over the team's past six games

But with or without the best three-point shooter in NBA history, Golden State are fundamentally changing the way they've played for much of the last decade. Having started with the ascension of the explosive Jonathan Kuminga, the Warriors are starting to lean deeper into their athletic youth.

Kuminga has been at the forefront of that, but so too is Trayce Jackson-Davis who has now won himself the backup center position. Rather than utilize below the rim players like Kevon Looney and Dario Saric, that duo have been cast aside for the springy 6'9" rookie.

Jackson-Davis' athleticism was on display in a huge poster dunk over Wembanyama with just over a minute to play on Monday. Yet while that was the biggest highlight, it was one of a number of dunks for the 24-year-old who finished with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting.

Golden State rank 21st in points in the paint this season, yet rank seventh over the last six games in which Jackson-Davis has played at least 16 minutes in each. They've also won the points in the paint battle in five of the six games, including against the Boston Celtics where they suffered a 52-point loss.

Veteran point-guard Chris Paul was asked about the Warriors' points in the paint production during Monday's post-game, mentioning Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins before labelling Jackson-Davis as a huge element to the team.

"Trayce is such a huge element to our team because we have so much shooting and ball movement. His ability to play above the rim unlocks everything for me too."

- Chris Paul

Whether the shift yields long-term success remains to be seen, but nevertheless it will likely prove a necessary step the Warriors needed to take to ensure they revolutionize and adapt to the league's growing athleticism.