Golden State Warriors: 5 Midseason Takeaways

3. Defense And Rim Protection Don’t Seem To Be Issues

Following the Kevin Durant coup, the biggest issues for the Warriors were supposed to be bench depth and rim protection. And yet, just past the halfway point of the new season, neither one is a particularly significant problem for the Dubs.

We’ve already covered bench depth, but credit needs to be given to Steve Kerr, his coaching staff, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant and the rest of the supporting cast for fielding the NBA’s stingiest defense. The Warriors are holding opponents to a league-best 101.0 points per possessions, and though there’s still plenty of season left to be played, that mark is just 0.1 points per 100 possessions shy of last year’s top-five mark.

More importantly, despite the absence of a seven-foot rim deterrent like Bogut, the Warriors are challenging and blocking shots at the basket as well as they ever have.

Through the first 45 games of the season, the Dubs are averaging a league-leading 6.2 blocks per game, along with a league-leading 9.4 steals per game. The next closest teams in those categories sit at 6.0 blocks and 9.1 steals per game, respectively.

Golden State is allowing opponents to shoot 43.3 percent from the field (tied for the best mark in the association) and 31.8 percent from three-point range (best in the NBA).

Thanks to the versatility and length of KD and Draymond, plus the underrated positional defense of Zaza Pachulia, the Warriors are holding opponents to 58.3 percent shooting on shots inside of five feet — the 11th best mark in the league. They’re also holding opponents to 37.3 percent shooting on shots from 5-9 feet, the fourth best percentage in the NBA.

Defensive rebounding is still an issue, especially when the team goes to its Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse lineup, but the Warriors are defending the rim well enough to field the league’s stingiest defense.