The Golden State Warriors Are Looking For The Perfect Efficiency
Christmas is coming soon, and the Golden State Warriors have to prepare for their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Golden State Warriors, after a starting with a record of 4-2, are running through a stretch of 21-2 basketball. This record is not like that which occurred last year but, in a way, it is even better. In fact, the Warriors are scoring 117.4 points per game, while last year they only scored 114.9. The Warriors are dishing out 31.6 assists per game, six more the Houston Rockets (second) and 2.4 more than their total last season.
With Kevin Durant, the Warriors have added to their strengths, namely assists and scoring. But, the assists must be compared with the turnovers. And here the tune is different. The Warriors have have given away 14.63 total turnovers per game, while the Cleveland Cavaliers are at 13.5, the San Antonio Spurs have 12.62, and the Los Angeles Clippers have 15.12.
A little under seven of these turnovers per game have been caused by a bad pass, for a total of about 45 percent. This is something of a negative, if compared with the other contenders. And this is one of the keys for the Warriors to achieve a new level of the game.
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Steve Kerr is not going to increase scoring or assist, but he is trying to maximize the efficiency. The goal is to create a team able to optimize the offense, creating open shots and scoring at the highest percentage possible. A sample is Durant against the Portland Trail Blazers, when the MVP shot 11-13 for 34 points with a very accurate selection of shots.
To maximize the efficiency, it’s important to find the best lineup possible to slam the opponents. To sign Durant, the front office allowed Andrew Bogut, Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli and Leandro Barbosa to walk. This decision had worried some supporters this summer, because there was a risk in not having a supporting cast up to par with the starters.
Instead, these players are not producing as they should far from the Bay. Bogut and Barnes are having some issues with the Dallas Mavericks, as injuries have hit the Mavs. Leandro Barbosa is not impressing as a veteran in Phoenix, while Ezeli will not play a single game this season because he is injured.
To replace these players, the front office signed some good deals. For example, JaVale McGee is revealing himself to be a valuable addition, after a couple of anonymous seasons characterized mostly for his “Shaqtin-a-Fool” appearances. Thanks to the excellent work of Steve Kerr, the big man is the new backup of Zaza Pachulia, surpassing Anderson Varejao and Kevon Looney in the hierarchies.
Ian Clark and Patrick McCaw, a Warriors’ draft pick this past summer, are two solid players who are proving to be reliable. Their performances allowed them to find a place in rotation, limiting David West, James Michael McAdoo and Damian Jones to the garbage time.
The two players earned their minutes, but don’t give the credit entirely to them. In fact, it’s the Warriors’ philosophy system that is allowing them to shine. It would be difficult to imagine Clark or McCaw playing at this level in another franchise, exactly as happened to the former Warriors who tried the fame elsewhere.
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Hence the importance for the Warriors to find maximum efficiency, demanding the maximum effort from the players in every moment of the game. Golden State is a system that enhances the player skills, and the starters are able to enhance this system. Steve Kerr isn’t just creating a short-term system, but he is developing a winning long-term system.