Fundamentals look to be key to success this season
LOS ANGELES >> After five straight trips to the NBA Finals, the Warriors aren’t accustomed to ranking at the bottom of the league in many categories. This preseason, however, has revealed a couple of potential vulnerabilities.
“Between the rebounding and the fouling, those are the areas we’ve talked about the most,” coach Steve Kerr said following Monday night’s preseason loss to the Lakers.
Headed into their third preseason game Wednesday night at Staples Center, the Warriors rank near the bottom of the league in both offensive rebounds allowed and personal fouls committed. Both provide additional opportunities for opponents to score, something the Warriors can’t afford this season.
The Warriors are giving up more offensive rebounds than any other NBA team this preseason. In fact, they are allowing opponents to grab more offensive rebounds than several international teams that have participated in preseason exhibitions.
“I’m confident, if we box out, we can pass Haifa and maybe even the Shanghai Sharks,” Kerr joked.
The coach’s focus on rebounding underscores the smaller margin for error the Warriors will deal with this season.
Last season, the Warriors were in the bottom 10 of the league in offensive rebounds allowed. Although, a statistic like that is less important when Stephen Curry is joined by Kevin Durant and a healthy Klay Thompson. Even when the Warriors were outworked, they often won due to overwhelming talent. That won’t be the case nearly as much this season.
Contributing to Golden State’s struggles is the fact that the team is without its top two centers. Willie Cauley-Stein (foot) and Kevon Looney (hamstring) are sidelined with injuries and have yet to play this preseason. Kerr, however, attributes the team’s struggles to more than a lack of 7-foot bodies.
“To be honest, it doesn’t feel like it’s a size issue. The last game really had nothing to do with size. It was a lack of focus, lack of attention to detail. Boxing out is such a fundamental issue, but it’s something that is easily neglected,” Kerr said.
Giving up offensive rebounds cuts into a team’s own possessions — valuable scoring opportunities — and the Warriors will need as many as possible after losing prominent playmakers and defenders like Durant, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston this offseason.
“It’s not just relying on our bigs to rebound and have 15-20-rebound games. We got to do it collectively,” Curry said. “Then we can play fast on the other end too, because we have that capability.”
In addition to rebounding, coaches have talked for the last week about defending without fouling. Only the Kings and Bucks are averaging more personal fouls per game than the Warriors. Monday night’s preseason loss to the Lakers didn’t provide any optimism as the Warriors sent the Lakers to the line 12 times in the first quarter, 39 times in the game.
“It’s been tough. I think one of the reasons we’re fouling too much is because we’re outmatched physically a lot of the time,” Kerr said Wednesday, noting the absence of Looney and Cauley-Stein. “The Lakers really pose a threat size-wise even without AD in there, with Dwight Howard in there. And we’re missing our two biggest players.”
Rookie forward Eric Paschall, who committed five fouls in the loss, will be one of the key contributors who will try to fill the hole created by the Warriors’ offseason departures.
“We have to be disciplined as a team and have a conscious of not fouling,” Paschall said.
Las Vegas has the Warriors’ over/ under at 47.5 total wins, almost 20 wins short of the 64.4-win average over the last five seasons. It will likely take Golden State going over that mark to make the playoffs in the West (last year’s No. 8 seed won 48 games).
To make the playoffs, things like disciplined defense and boxing out — the fundamentals — can’t be taken for granted.
“If we don’t get that cleaned up, we’re in huge trouble this year,” Kerr said. “We know that.”