WARRIORS’ BATTLE CRY IS NEXT- MAN UP WITH KD OUT
“Obviously it’s tough with ( Kevin Durant) going down. You have to do it by committee. ... Multiple guys just have to step up.” Warriors forward Draymond Green
If there’s any team that can endure the loss of a player of Kevin Durant’s caliber, it’s the Golden State Warriors.
No one’s feeling sorry for them after Wednesday’s news that Durant suffered a Grade 2 medial collateral ligament knee sprain and a shin bruise that will keep him out for at least four weeks.
The impact was felt immediately. The Warriors fell 94- 87 Thursday to the Chicago Bulls, marking their first back- toback regular- season losses since April 2015 after falling to the Washington Wizards earlier in the week. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were uncharacteristically off from the three- point line. Combined, they shot 3- for- 22 from beyond the arc.
The Warriors still have the inside track for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, but their margin for error just got smaller.
Durant’s injury also increases the pressure on Curry, the two- time reigning NBAMVP. His numbers are down as a result of incorporating Durant’s 25.3 points and nearly 17 shots per game into the offense. Curry’s averaging a shade under 25 points after averaging more than 30 last season.
Though there will be an adjustment to playing without Durant, Curry admitted there was a sense of relief that their prized offseason acquisition might return for the end of the regular season.
“Anytime you have a guy go down, knowing how tough KD is when he knows he can’t play or stay in the game, you have him in your thoughts,” Curry said. “Definitely there was a sense of relief that he’ll be able to come back at some point down the stretch of the season, and obviously our job now is to stay being us.”
The hard part is that Durant was part of the Warriors’ top- four lineups, according to stats from NBA. com. What’s more, the Warriors’ offensive rating ( points per 100 possessions) was 116.9 with Durant on the court and 107.4 with him off of it.
There’s also been sizable roster turnover from last season’s 73- win team. Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut and Leandro Barbosa are all gone, while Durant, Matt Barnes, JaVale McGee and Zaza Pachulia are the new additions. You could do worse than Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green as basketball holdovers.
“Obviously it’s tough with ( Durant) going down,” Green said. “You have to do it by committee. It’s not just going to be any one guy that can come and bring us 26 points and eight rebounds per game. Multiple guys just have to step up, and some guys’ minutes will increase. Maybe the starters’ minutes will increase. Who knows? Other guys just got to be ready to step up.”
Despite the loss, Curry wasn’t ready to sound the alarm: “It’s good news on one hand, because it looked bad, the way it had kind of bent. We’ll be fine, finish out however long he’s out, just nextmanup mentality. But obviously it’ll be tough to replace a guy like KD.”
TheWarriors officially announced the signing of veteran swingman Matt Barnes on Thursday, but that’s hardly an adequate replacement. Fortunately for the Warriors, their roster is loaded with talent and should be able to hold down the fort.