4 numbers the Warriors are focusing on
SAN FRANCISCO >> It usually takes more than two games for Stephen Curry to start looking at the data and making adjustments.
“Maybe five (or) 10 games in, you start to really look at it,” Curry said.
Curry and the Warriors are privy to more intricate data than what we have available to us. But after Golden State’s sweep of the Los Angeles teams, there are some numbers that stand out as the Warriors take their 2-0 record on the road to Sacramento. Let’s take a look.
40>> The Warriors gave away more free throw attempts than any team in the NBA last season. It’s a weak point coach Steve Kerr and staff have identified as a point of focus. With 40 allowed so far through two games,
it’s a step forward from last year.
Not only does the hacking give away free points, but it can also help opponents at the other end of the court, too, by allowing them to reset their defense.
“We were playing against a set defense all the time,” Draymond Green said after the Warriors’ win over the Clippers, a game that featured 21 Los Angeles free throws.
The Warriors turned in a slightly better effort against the Lakers, sending them to the line 19 times, and their 20.0 per game average so far is an improvement over last season’s 25.5 mark,
worst in the NBA.
+19 >> Golden State has outrebounded its first two opponents 103-84, a plus-19 margin.
Their leading glass collector?
None other than Stephen Curry, who has finished
with 10 rebounds in each of his first two games as part of triple- and double-double efforts.
Nobody in the NBA shorter than 6-foot-8 has more rebounds than the 6-3 Curry through two games. His 10.0 per game average is almost twice that of his previous career high, which came last year — 5.5 per game.
Has Curry added another arsenal to his game? Is this to be expected now?
“Absolutely, mark it down,” he responded with a sly grin.
57>> The Warriors are playing Kerr’s brand of basketball. Their 57 assists rank fifth in the NBA, and players are setting up one another on 67.9% of their field goals. Golden State has led the league in assists in six of the past seven seasons.
“That’s business as usual for us,” Kerr said. “That’s just the way we play, especially with Steph and Draymond as the focal point of our offense, with their pickand-roll game (and) Draymond’s ability to pass. The ball moves quite a bit.” 107.8 >> No team in the NBA is averaging more possessions per 48 minutes — a good sign for a Warriors team that only sees more opportunities to score — but it hasn’t resulted in an advantage in looks at the basket, as they would like.
The Warriors are attempting an average of 7.5 shots fewer than their opponents, after they outshot their five preseason opponents by about the same margin. They’ve won, in part, by hitting them at a higher rate (47.7% vs. 45.5% fg%, 41.4% vs. 35.4% 3pt%).
Blame some sloppy play for the difference. The Warriors have coughed up the ball 13 more times than their opponents and have more turnovers per 100 plays than all but three other teams. They turned the ball over 12 times in the first half against the Clippers and finished the game with a minus-14 turnover differential.