Believe it or not, drubbing a team more often than not pays dividends
It’s a shocking development for most, but one the Warriors haven’t adopted until now. This is the result of numerous additions, most specifically the coaching staff and enhanced bench. Not only is the team playing fundamental basketball based on increased ball movement and spacing, but the new additions have allowed the stars to play less while also playing better.
Last season, Stephen Curry averaged 36.5 minutes per game, which finished ninth in the NBA and the most for any point guard. Klay Thompson was 22nd in the league with 35.4 MPG and David Lee was seventh amongst power forwards with 33.2 MPG. Their style was different, one predicated on Curry and Curry alone at times. Curry wasn’t complaining, but the fatigue was evident, especially against hounding on-ball defense and double teams.
The Warriors have been a winning team the last two seasons, but the way this team is winning this season has been the most encouraging sign in decades that this team is actually ready to compete for a title. Despite the obvious detriments the last two seasons (injuries, coaching, etc.), the team was too depending on Curry, and the coaching staff was unwilling to change their ways. Curry was sixth in the NBA in usage rate last season at 28.2, this season Curry is 12th (27.9).
A consistent offensive predicated on ball movement will decrease Curry’s usage rate, but it will also benefit his teammates. There isn’t a bench player that is receiving nightly minutes that is struggling. Lee might be closest to that title, but given his injury and new role, this isn’t totally unexpected. Andre Iguodala has also struggled in terms of scoring but is contributing with strong defense and ball handling. Those are veterans that Kerr has demoted for the betterment of the team, and it’s working.
The technical changes to both sides of the ball are evident, but it may be the in-game adjustments that Kerr makes that will benefit this team come playoff time. Kerr isn’t substituting his bench in a mass horde, but instead seeing how the game flows and putting his players in the best position to succeed in their given roles. Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and Marreese Speights are the best example of such adjustments.
The Warriors are winning games at an incredible rate, and their affinity for blowout wins – in addition to Kerr’s adjustments – has this team primed for a deep run. The team carries an NBA best +10.9 point differential, more than four points better than the Atlanta Hawks (34-8). Last season, the league leader in point differential (San Antonio) won the title with a +7.8 differential. The Warriors were still fourth in the league, but nearly six points lowers than this season with +4.8 differential.
Monday’s shellacking of the Denver Nuggets was another example of how this team can dominate even without massive contributions from their franchise cornerstones. The Nuggets are going nowhere, but a 43-point loss is still an embarrassment for anyone not named the New York Knicks (they just call that a loss at this point). Not one player logged more than 25 minutes, and the bench combined for a season high 67 points.
The limited minutes the starters are logging in these blowout wins will only benefit as the 82-game season progresses. Thompson likes to respond to questions of fatigue with “We’re young,” but not even the younger players can deny this newfound freshness. With the veterans, it goes without saying, but for active players like Curry and Thompson, it’s a must.
The Warriors don’t have anyone in the Top-40 of the league in minutes played, with Curry closest at 42nd with 33.1 MPG. This is a far cry from just last season when he ranked ninth. Thompson is tied for 50th with 32.6 MPG and Green 58th with 32.8 MPG. Even though their combined age is a mere 74, the high octane pace the Warriors play (1st in the league at 100.8) is draining. These blowouts are fun, some even laughable, and now the players can laugh with the rest of us.
A lot has changed in the eight months that has passed since the Clippers eliminated the Warriors last season. Like the aforementioned Atlanta Hawks, many still need to see this team continue such dominance in the playoffs for minds to finally be convinced. The numbers are clear; the end-of-season results have yet to make themselves so. But, with how Kerr is managing this team, those results will assuredly follow suit.