Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 3 vs. Spurs

1. K.D. needs to box out with A.D. looming

Rebounds are among the most sneakily misleading stats in basketball. Case in point: Kevin Durant in this series.

Durant is comfortably leading the Warriors with 8.0 rebounds per game thus far. If you watch the games, however, you’ll see that he has been anything but impressive when a Spurs shot goes up.

On at least two occasions in each of the three games, Durant has completely ignored a crashing Spur, expecting to easily collect the ball and move up court. That means that he has given the Spurs a minimum of six extra possessions, most of which have resulted in easy put-backs.

His teammates have mitigated the issue. Green is among the best box-out guys in the NBA, and David West is not far behind. Iguodala has been swarming the defensive glass (6.0 rebounds per game), and guards Quinn Cook and Shaun Livingston are each grabbing 6.2 boards per 36 minutes.

Again, raw rebounding stats do not tell the whole story, but they matter more for wings — especially when “gang rebounding” is one of your team’s tenants. A big man’s primary goal is to keep opposing big men off the glass, so that wings can swoop in, grab and go.

Durant deserves some slack. He has been a wing most of his career, and is among the best rebounders in the league from the small forward position. But the Warriors do not have a Steven Adams walling off the offensive glass, especially not when Pachulia is receiving DNPs. Green is in full playoff-mode now, meaning he is seemingly doubling and recovering with each successive pass the Spurs make. Durant, who has taken pride in being the Warriors’ most active rim protector, is naturally near the basket more than ever right now. Therefore, it is on him to box out.

Barring the unimaginable, the Warriors will face Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans in the next round. When it comes to offensive rebounding, Davis makes LaMarcus Aldridge look like David Aldridge, which will in turn make Kevin Durant look like Kevin Pelton.

Next: Full two-round 2018 NBA Mock Draft

The Warriors forward had better channel his inner Kevin Garnett if he wants to prevent this.