Golden State Warriors aren’t better without Kevin Durant, but he needs to buy in

The Golden State Warriors aren’t better without Kevin Durant, despite their strong record when he sits, but he needs to be better for the team.

Coming off their worst loss of the season–a defeat at the hands of the Phoenix Suns at home–the Golden State Warriors showed championship resolve for really the first time during the 2018-19 campaign. With Kevin Durant sidelined by an ankle injury, the Warriors went on the road to take on the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the two Western Conference teams many are projected to give the defending champs trouble. Missing the two-time Finals MVP, Golden State came away with two statement wins.

The discourse surrounding the NBA has become increasingly reactionary with the rise of social media, prioritizing hot takes over nuanced analysis. So, of course, in light of the Warriors’ 23rd win in their last 24 Durant-less games, the takes flew freely, especially with the fans’ frustration over their team’s apparent underperformance this year.

The most incendiary and frequent one was that the Warriors are better without Durant. Though they’ve had great success without him in the lineup, they’re not. Durant is arguably the best player in the league, one of the most unique talents ever so, certainly, it just doesn’t seem reasonable to suggest any team would be better without him playing.

More from Golden Gate Sports

• Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
• 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
• Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
• 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
• 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve

The Warriors are not better without him, but they’ve played better basketball when he’s out, especially as of late. Golden State’s quest for a three-peat has been an absolute grind with more low points than we’d expect from Steve Kerr‘s Warriors.

As Durant’s impending free agency looms over their title hopes, the team just hasn’t seemed to be having as much fun as other iterations. The increase in joy and energy have been extremely visible over the last two games as the team has battled for a pair of big wins.

Their offense isn’t as smooth, the role players aren’t as effective, and the excitement is much more limited when he’s available and in the lineup. Some of this, certainly, needs to be addressed by Durant while other parts fall on the rest of the team.

Let’s first dive into the team. The margin for error with Durant is much smaller than it is without him, despite their record. Top talent generally wins out in basketball and keeping Durant on the floor with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green has, historically speaking, been very good.

With what seems like one of the biggest margins for error in basketball history, it’s easy to take your foot off the pedal. The Warriors are looking to make a fifth consecutive run at the NBA Finals so they have given the regular season less importance each year. Their effort and execution drop because the allure of “let’s give it to KD” when things get tough is too good to pass up, especially when that strategy has been proven to work in the most important moments.

Durant’s ability also makes it a bigger challenge for Kerr to figure out how to maximize everyone else. Green is at his best as a playmaker with the ball in his hands. He’s not an off-ball threat to knock down shots so his value is diminished when he isn’t running the show. To a lesser extent, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston can also be impacted by this.

DeMarcus Cousins, on the other hand, is a scorer with the ability to space the floor. Still, Durant’s presence can cause Cousins to drop to fourth or fifth in the pecking order of who is going to facilitate the offense. Cousins is an extremely gifted passer, but he’s at his best when he operates in spaces that Durant also likes to occupy, such as both the high and low post.

But that need to maximize Durant’s individual greatness can also be damaging. Because of his ability to rise over anyone and get a high percentage shot off, he is allowed to operate on one side of the court out of the post in isolation often. While it’s often effective and allows him to get into a rhythm, a player like Curry, who thrives off feel and pace, can’t.

This is where Durant needs to step up. His offensive contributions can’t only come out of isolation. While the Warriors should absolutely give him complete control of the offense at times and in certain lineups, he can’t limit himself to only that form of attack. He has become less engaged in a team offense than he was during his first year with the Warriors

Durant isn’t moving as much off the ball and his screen setting leaves a lot to be desired. More than he has in other seasons, he can fall into the habit of standing around and calling for the ball when other players are looking to make something happen. There have been certain instances, especially when the team is trailing, that he seems to temporarily disconnect when he doesn’t get the ball when he wants, partially fueling the rumors of his desire to leave the Bay Area.

This problem has made itself most concerning against the Houston Rockets, who have shown that they are more comfortable allow Durant to isolate–usually on PJ Tucker–than let Curry and Thompson get comfortable. It almost cost them a Finals appearance last year and that poor attack reared its head during the first three regular-season meetings.

If Durant commits himself to buying in, then the Warriors can return to winning at the rate that they expect of themselves. If he stays in the moment–not in his summer decisions– then he can multiply the joy the Warriors have played with over their last two contests, not combat it.

The Warriors play better without Durant than they have with him as of late. Let’s not forget, though, that they’ve won back-to-back championships with him at the helm and, when he’s at his best as a team player, Golden State is the most unstoppable force to ever step onto a basketball court.

Kevin Durant and the Warriors need to find a balance of thrusting him into the forefront and scaling the former-MVP back to let the collective grow stronger.