Dubs by the Digits: Brandon Rush
Yesterday, we started a series of articles called “Dubs by the Digits.” These articles give fans a quick statistical breakdown on members of the Golden State Warriors. The first article of this series was about Warriors’ backup point guard, Shaun Livingston.
Our next article in this series will be about another one of the newest members of the Warriors’ 2014-2015 team, Brandon Rush.
As many Warriors fans probably remember, Rush played for the Warriors during the 2011-2012 and the 2012-2013 seasons. In his first season with the Warriors, he made a big impact off the bench. He was the Warriors’ sixth man, and he provided the shooting and the athleticism that the Warriors severely lacked last year from their reserves.
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Unfortunately, during the 2012-2013 season, Rush suffered a horrific injury to his left knee, in which he tore his ACL, in just the second game of the season. Rush was out the rest of the season, and the Warriors certainly missed their reliable three-point scoring threat off the bench.
Rush also became a fan favorite in his time with the Warriors. Fans loved his easygoing personality and his consistent effort on defense, his solid three-point shooting off the bench, and his energy and explosiveness.
Rush’s shooting ability and his athleticism could’ve certainly been used off the Warriors’ bench last season, but he was sent to the Utah Jazz in the three-team deal that sent Andre Iguodala to the Warriors prior to the 2013-2014 season.
Now that Rush is back with the Warriors, it’s clear that, if he stays healthy, he really could be the missing piece to the Warriors’ bench. Every Warriors fan knows the struggles that the bench had last year with scoring, and Rush will help with that. He also will contribute defense, athleticism, and energy.
Now let’s take a deeper look into some of Rush’s notable stats for the past few seasons. Given the small sample size of the 2012-2013 season and his lack of playing time during the 2013-2014 season, we’ll mostly focus on what Rush was able to do during the 2011-2012 season, because he’ll most likely have a similar role this season to the one he had during that season:
| PTS | REB | AST | FG % | FT % | 3PT % | TS % | Off./Def. Rtg | Games(starts) | MIN | |
| 2011-2012 | 9.8 | 3.9 | 1.4 | 50.1 | 79.3 | 45.2 | 62.8 | 113/11 | 65 (1) | 26.4 |
| 2012-2013 | 7 | 0.5 | 1 | 66.7 | 66.7 | 0 | 67.8 | 105/100 | 2 (0) | 12.7 |
| 2013-2014 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 33.3 | 60 | 34 | 42.8 | 76/117 | 38 (0) | 11 |
| 2011-12 Splits | ||||||||||
| vs. WC | 10 | 3.6 | 1.2 | 51.5 | 84.9 | 46.7 | 65 | 116/111 | 47 (0) | 25.6 |
| vs Pacific | 10.7 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 54.2 | 84.6 | 51.1 | 68 | 122/114 | 15 (0) | 24.5 |
| Post-ASG | 10.9 | 4.5 | 1.6 | 51 | 81.6 | 40.7 | 62.3 | 113/111 | 35 (0) | 28.5 |
| at home | 10.3 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 50.4 | 83.3 | 46.7 | 63.8 | 112/112 | 32 (1) | 27.5 |
-TS%, true shooting percentage, measures player’s shooting efficiency, takes into account field goals, three-point field goals, and free throws.
-Offensive rating: points produced per 100 possessions
-Defensive rating: points allowed per 100 possessions
Based on Rush’s true shooting percentage, it’s clear that he was efficient from both two-point and three-point range. His three-point shooting is what stands out the most and what symbolizes his impact off the bench during the 2011-2012 season. He actually finished the season ranking sixth in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage.
Rush’s three-point shooting and ability to stretch the floor will be incredibly valuable to the Warriors’ bench this upcoming season. He is the perfect addition to this Warriors’ bench.