Do you really expect a better defensive team?

[CitySushi]

Bogut alone brings a great presence, but with Curry and Lee being anchors on the team, how much better can we realistically be on the defensive end?

Klay has his moments, but I'm skeptical if he'll ever turn into an above average defender. Monta was undersized and gambled too much, but he had quickness to his advantage. Klay has size, but I'm not sure the strength is there yet. I don't anticipate him being significantly better than we saw last year from him.

If Barnes ends up starting, like a few here expect him to win the job, I think he'll have his share of trouble on defense. Most around here have varying opinions on the guy's ability on the defensive end, but at the end of the day he's a rookie. He'll have his share of lapses.

We both know what we're going to get with Lee and Curry in terms of their one on one defense. What's yet to be seen is how Lee will respond with a true shot blocker in the middle. Maybe he benefits by having more weakside help, and that alone may quell some of his problems in the post.

Landry has never been known to be a defensive presence. Jack and Rush both are solid off the bench wing defenders. Ezeli is a big fella but I doubt he gets significant minutes right away.

I think they may be marginally better on defense. The key will be to having a healthy roster to compete on a daily basis. What do you guys think?

 

[Heathbar012]

I think you're on the right track. I might be a little bit more optimistic than you, but mostly for the reasons that you already mentioned (ie. Bogut covering up Lee/Curry mistakes while making them more confident to funnel their man a certain way). Klay and Harrison are definitely two less predictable commodities, and you are correct to worry about Thompson's strength. If he didn't add at least 5 pounds of muscle in the off-season, Rush and Jefferson will get far more minutes than I would usually hope for.

However, that increased length on the perimeter is quite helpful, and Klay's defensive footwork as a rookie impressed me far more than his college D. Barnes certainly doesn't have the defensive prowess that MKG possesses, but unlike some players with his talent, he is active and engaged on the defensive end. As you state, he will get burned. He is still a 20-year-old kid in the NBA. One factor you didn't consider for a possible improvement is that this is Mark Jackson's second year of emphasizing defense's importance. Of course, this does almost nothing for the deficiencies that we know exist in Curry and Lee's games, but at least the philosophy and drills remain the same. I believe in a certain level of improvement based on familiarity and consistency. Also, and I know I'm getting caught up in the same trap as every off-season, but there is significantly less pressure on Beans, and I have always felt that if he didn't have to worry about any possibility of fouling out (which he won't with Bogut and Ezeli around), he could be a very effective Defensive player. He was for about a season and a half even when he was the only true center on the roster.

Of course, I could just naturally be more optimistic in all situations. Seriously, though, I think you're right to be skeptical, and I only expect marginal improvement. There will still be plenty of 105-100 games, but I think the Warriors will be on the winning end of those a lot more often this season. Unfortunately, the recurring theme in these prognostications will be that most of this hinges on the health of the projected starting 5. So it goes.

 

[EKmane]

I think they'll be alot better. Not at first, over the course. The whole team is on more than 1 year deals, they'll be able to grow together and develop.

 

[ChuckDurn]

I think the Warriors will actually be a lot better defensively. Now, that doesn't mean I think they're going to be in the top half of the league on defense, but they won't be atrocious.

Lee actually isn't that bad guarding his own guy, as long as that guy can't physically bully him around. There are a couple of guys who can do that (Aldridge, Griffin), but not a lot. Where Lee is useless is in help defense - but with Bogut around, or even Ezeli or the Latvian Tax, Lee really won't need to do much of anything as a help defender most of the time.

Jack is a very tough defender; Landry has a reputation of being a poor defender, but the advanced stats seem to conflict with that and suggest that he is actually a pretty good man defender.

I think the overall key for the Warriors' defense will be whether Curry and Thompson can play good positional defense to keep their opponent in front of them most of the time. Curry has to just learn to play smart, not making gambling plays.

In the past, because they didn't really have a good rim protector and were so poor overall on defense, the Warriors played gambling, scrambling defense. This year, I hope they just play solid, positional defense, and let Bogut erase any mistakes. And I think they will.

 

[EKmane]

I think the Warriors will actually be a lot better defensively. Now, that doesn't mean I think they're going to be in the top half of the league on defense, but they won't be atrocious.

Lee actually isn't that bad guarding his own guy, as long as that guy can't physically bully him around. There are a couple of guys who can do that (Aldridge, Griffin), but not a lot. Where Lee is useless is in help defense - but with Bogut around, or even Ezeli or the Latvian Tax, Lee really won't need to do much of anything as a help defender most of the time.

Jack is a very tough defender; Landry has a reputation of being a poor defender, but the advanced stats seem to conflict with that and suggest that he is actually a pretty good man defender.

I think the overall key for the Warriors' defense will be whether Curry and Thompson can play good positional defense to keep their opponent in front of them most of the time. Curry has to just learn to play smart, not making gambling plays.

In the past, because they didn't really have a good rim protector and were so poor overall on defense, the Warriors played gambling, scrambling defense. This year, I hope they just play solid, positional defense, and let Bogut erase any mistakes. And I think they will.

Chuck- this part of that statement is false. Lee as already shut Aldridge down man to man for an entire game. Also, Aldridge can't bully anybody, he shoots jumpers and is thin as a rail.

David Lee Takes On 1-On-1 Challenge Of Guarding LaMarcus Aldridge
April 6 Oregonian
"With Golden State's game against the Trail Blazers tied 47-47 at halftime, Warriors coach Keith Smart was meeting with his coaches in the visitors' locker room at the Rose Garden when he heard his players talking. "We heard through the door, the players were talking about what they wanted to do," Smart said. "David Lee spoke up and said he wanted to guard (LaMarcus) Aldridge by himself." It was exactly the kind of initiative and leadership Smart has been wanting out of his top players, and the move worked well. The Warriors burst out the locker room and took control the game in the third quarter, leading to a 108-87 victory over the playoff-bound Blazers. Aldridge, Portland's leading

 

[ChuckDurn]

Chuck- this part of that statement is false. Lee as already shut Aldridge down man to man for an entire game. Also, Aldridge can't bully anybody, he shoots jumpers and is thin as a rail.

David Lee Takes On 1-On-1 Challenge Of Guarding LaMarcus Aldridge
April 6 Oregonian
"With Golden State's game against the Trail Blazers tied 47-47 at halftime, Warriors coach Keith Smart was meeting with his coaches in the visitors' locker room at the Rose Garden when he heard his players talking. "We heard through the door, the players were talking about what they wanted to do," Smart said. "David Lee spoke up and said he wanted to guard (LaMarcus) Aldridge by himself." It was exactly the kind of initiative and leadership Smart has been wanting out of his top players, and the move worked well. The Warriors burst out the locker room and took control the game in the third quarter, leading to a 108-87 victory over the playoff-bound Blazers. Aldridge, Portland's leading

Yeah, EK, I knew when I wrote that that somebody would jump on that game. And you're right, maybe Aldridge isn't the best example. But Lee does struggle with rough and tough guys, particularly guys who rebound aggressively.

Humphries. There's an example of a guy who owns Lee. Lee simply can't keep tough guys like him away from the hoop and off the boards.

Thank God Reggie Evans can't score, even if the hoop was twice its current size, because he's an example of another guy who Lee is useless against.....

 

[Heathbar012]

Yeah, EK, I knew when I wrote that that somebody would jump on that game. And you're right, maybe Aldridge isn't the best example. But Lee does struggle with rough and tough guys, particularly guys who rebound aggressively.

Humphries. There's an example of a guy who owns Lee. Lee simply can't keep tough guys like him away from the hoop and off the boards.

Thank God Reggie Evans can't score, even if the hoop was twice its current size, because he's an example of another guy who Lee is useless against.....

Kenneth Faried...

 

[ChuckDurn]

Luis Scola..... He's simply trickier than Lee and gets what he wants.....

 

[CitySushi]

Luc Richard Mbah A Moute

 

[TobyTyler]

Bogut alone brings a great presence, but with Curry and Lee being anchors on the team, how much better can we realistically be on the defensive end?

Klay has his moments, but I'm skeptical if he'll ever turn into an above average defender. Monta was undersized and gambled too much, but he had quickness to his advantage. Klay has size, but I'm not sure the strength is there yet. I don't anticipate him being significantly better than we saw last year from him.

If Barnes ends up starting, like a few here expect him to win the job, I think he'll have his share of trouble on defense. Most around here have varying opinions on the guy's ability on the defensive end, but at the end of the day he's a rookie. He'll have his share of lapses.

We both know what we're going to get with Lee and Curry in terms of their one on one defense. What's yet to be seen is how Lee will respond with a true shot blocker in the middle. Maybe he benefits by having more weakside help, and that alone may quell some of his problems in the post.

Landry has never been known to be a defensive presence. Jack and Rush both are solid off the bench wing defenders. Ezeli is a big fella but I doubt he gets significant minutes right away.

I think they may be marginally better on defense. The key will be to having a healthy roster to compete on a daily basis. What do you guys think?

Doesn't look like it so far. Defense doesn't sem to be emphasized on this team.

 

[Yoshi]

Bogut alone brings a great presence, but with Curry and Lee being anchors on the team, how much better can we realistically be on the defensive end?

Klay has his moments, but I'm skeptical if he'll ever turn into an above average defender. Monta was undersized and gambled too much, but he had quickness to his advantage. Klay has size, but I'm not sure the strength is there yet. I don't anticipate him being significantly better than we saw last year from him.

If Barnes ends up starting, like a few here expect him to win the job, I think he'll have his share of trouble on defense. Most around here have varying opinions on the guy's ability on the defensive end, but at the end of the day he's a rookie. He'll have his share of lapses.

We both know what we're going to get with Lee and Curry in terms of their one on one defense. What's yet to be seen is how Lee will respond with a true shot blocker in the middle. Maybe he benefits by having more weakside help, and that alone may quell some of his problems in the post.

Landry has never been known to be a defensive presence. Jack and Rush both are solid off the bench wing defenders. Ezeli is a big fella but I doubt he gets significant minutes right away.

I think they may be marginally better on defense. The key will be to having a healthy roster to compete on a daily basis. What do you guys think?

With Bogut being shut down, Ezeli is gonna get some PT. He's a rook so mistakes are evident, but it's pretty apparent he'll have more value than Beans.

The rotations on defense are much better this season, and the Warrior guards are challenging more shots this season. It's pretty apparent Mark Jackson is emphasizing more team defense. There are not a lot of great individual defenders on this team, but when Bogut comes back, they'll obviously benefit greatly especially Lee, who doesn't have to worry per se about guarding the best interior player of the opposition. His role will be cleaning up the rebounds on the defensive end when Bogut changes shots.

 

[ColinCoby]

Doesn't look like it so far. Defense doesn't sem to be emphasized on this team.

Thought I heard last night that the Ws have held their opposition to one of the lowest shooting percentages in the league. The problem is the team doesn't rebound well.

The only way that improves is either Bogut returns soon (unlikely) or the guards and Barnes start crashing the boards. Last night's results were promising. (outrebounded the Hawks 44-29)

 

[GSW_Lurker]

Thought I heard last night that the Ws have held their opposition to one of the lowest shooting percentages in the league. The problem is the team doesn't rebound well.

The only way that improves is either Bogut returns soon (unlikely) or the guards and Barnes start crashing the boards. Last night's results were promising. (outrebounded the Hawks 44-29)

Actually, currently the warriors are even better at rebounding than they are at opponents shooting percentage.

They are sixth in opponents shooting percentage, while 4th in both total rebound average and rebound differential.

NBA.com team statistics

I'm liking what I see so far, when they play smart and are passing well. (When they continue to chuck bricks from range for extended periods, or not manage the game clock, not so much...)

 

[Yoshi]

Thought I heard last night that the Ws have held their opposition to one of the lowest shooting percentages in the league. The problem is the team doesn't rebound well.

The only way that improves is either Bogut returns soon (unlikely) or the guards and Barnes start crashing the boards. Last night's results were promising. (outrebounded the Hawks 44-29)

Actually, their problem isn't rebounding or their opponent's shooting %, but rather they have an issue with FT%. I believe they are 23rd in the league right now, kinda mind boggling for a team that has Curry and Klay starting in the backcourt.