After 20 games, the Warriors have an ambitious game plan for the rest of the 2023-24 NBA season.
www.nbcsportsbayarea.com
...
The Warriors want to run. Push the pace. Keep defenses from setting up half-court shells. Run, run, run.
“We were No. 1 in the league in pace last year and we’re No. 30 right now,” Kerr said.
Kerr is right about last season; the Warriors ran at the fastest pace in the league. He’s wrong about this season, as they are 13th. It’s not bottom tier, but it’s also not top-five, which is where they finished in each of the six seasons that concluded with an appearance in the NBA Finals.
The
core of the Warriors – Curry at 35, Green and Thompson each 33 – was much younger during those runs to the Finals. The acquisition of 38-year-old Chris Paul in July boosted the team’s average age but addressed the desire to reduce turnovers.
“We felt we could find some middle ground, find a way to take better care of the ball but still play with pace and find advantages in the game,” Kerr said. “And we’re not finding as many advantages as we should.
“We need to throw the ball ahead more. I see a lot of possessions where guys are catching (the ball) and then dribbling it up, and then you lose your advantage. I really want to see more throw-aheads and more pace and more energy.”
If the Warriors, the third-oldest roster in the league, are to pick up the pace, it surely would benefit their offense. Transition triples from Curry and Thompson have a way of deflating opponents.
Kerr believes it’s possible. Green believes it’s possible.
“I’ve missed seven games, nine if you count the two ejections,” Green said Saturday in Los Angeles, after a 113-112 loss to the Clippers. “I push our pace. That’s one of my roles. I can raise my hand and say that’s all my fault.
“But I also take it upon myself to make sure we get it back there. We’re starting to get it back.”
When it comes to rebound-rip-run, Green might be
the best in the league outside of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Where Giannis pushes to finish, Draymond pushes to feed.
“One of the best things he does is, made or missed, he gets the ball out and pushes it ahead – point forward,” Kerr said. “You get Steph and Klay running the wings and it puts a lot of pressure on the defense.
“We need Draymond pushing it, for sure. But we need everybody running the floor. when we have someone running ahead, we have to throw it to them.”
This is a tall ask of these Warriors.
The Bucks are the only team in the NBA top-five in pace (fifth) and also among the five oldest (first). The Clippers, No. 2 on the age list, are 22nd in pace. The Suns, No. 4 on the age list, are 27th in pace. The 76ers, with the fifth-eldest roster, are 16th in pace. The Heat, sixth on the age list, are 24th in pace.
And yet the Curry-Green-Thompson Warriors hoping to summon the will and endurance to operate at the speed of 2018. The four-ring vets are high-mileage players, as is Paul. Only Curry consistently performs at a relatively high level beyond 30 minutes per game.
...