Golden State Warriors: Why the team’s motion offense is better than isolation
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From the analysis of the most successful teams in the modern NBA, they were all heavily reliant on motion offense predominantly with the exception of the two teams led by LeBron James. \He is obviously a generational talent and could take teams all the way on his back with his unique skillset.
Even other world-class players in the era could not do this, with Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant both needing the help of some of the best motion offenses ever devised to take them all the way to winning the NBA championship.
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Back in his Oklahoma City Thunder days, Kevin Durant could not win a championship with the stagnant isolation-dominant offense they were running.
It’s partly because of the supporting cast he had around him thinking they were better than they are (Russell Westbrook thought he was the number one option for some reason).
However, the motion offense of Golden State isn’t all that propelled him to his first championship, it’s, of course, the contrast in players.
He replaced Russell Westbrook with Stephen Curry, Dion Waiters with Klay Thompson, and Serge Ibaka with Draymond Green. Those are all upgrades, not just in terms of talent, but also in terms of egos.
The Warriors had all learned to accept their roles and were happy to allow Durant to take plenty of shots, so long as it meant they would win the championship. Not many other big threes would have been so happy with it.
Overall it’s clear that motion offenses have had more success over recent times, even in the later rounds of the playoffs.
Next. Golden State Warriors: Breaking down Shaun Livingston’s best moments. dark
Unless you have the absolute pinnacle of elite talent (LeBron James was the only one in this era), then you have very little chance of sustained success in the NBA running an isolation-heavy offense.