McGee making his blocked shots count
JaVale McGee has long been a case study for superficial defensive statistics. Earlier in his career, when the ultraathletic center averaged twoplus blocks per game with Washington and Denver, his more advanced numbers suggested he had hurt his team by
hunting the big swat.
Instead of listening when coaches told him to get set defensively sooner, McGee trailed shooters to the rim. The thrill of come-from-behind blocks was more important to him at the time than the nuances of spacing and team defense.
“I was averaging like 2.8 blocks per game,” McGee said earlier this season. “So, it was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ ”
In recent weeks, McGee has mastered the art of swatting shots within the framework of the Warriors’ switch-heavy
Warriors center JaVale McGee, here denying the Rockets’ Sam Dekker on Friday night, has blocked nine shots in his past three games.
system. That’s just one of the overlooked reasons Golden State has found its defensive footing without Kevin Durant. With McGee helping anchor the interior, the Warriors have used stingy defense to change the course of their season.
Three weeks ago, during its first three-game skid since November 2013, Golden State was surrendering an average of 103.0 points on 46.6 percent shooting. During their current 10-game winning streak, the Warriors have held opponents to 96.6 points on 40.8 percent shooting.
“Winning covers up a lot of sins,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “When you lose, they’re exposed and you want to do something about it. That (losing) stretch, in a weird way, was kind of good for us. It made us refocus and clean up a lot of our mistakes.”
Last summer, when Golden State parted ways with centers Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli to sign Durant, skeptics wondered whether its defense would regress. On a team laden with elite scorers, Bogut and Ezeli had provided muchneeded toughness and shot blocking.
Many were surprised when Durant, playing the most minutes at power forward of his career, blossomed into the ideal defensive complement to Defensive Player of the Year candidate Draymond Green. With a rare blend of speed and length, Durant switched off screens and guarded multiple positions. His averages of 1.6 blocks and 7.6 defensive rebounds per game will be career bests if they hold.
When Durant sustained a grade 2 MCL sprain and bone bruise to his left knee Feb. 28 at Washington, the Warriors were tasked with more than replacing their leading scorer. Just as pressing was whether they could maintain their status as the league’s top defensive team without Durant.
The immediate returns were troubling: Golden State lost five of its first seven games after Durant got hurt, including the Wizards game in which the injury occurred. The Warriors became susceptible to the big quarter. Unable to consistently get transition opportunities with defensive rebounds, steals and blocks, they recorded more games in that span with fewer than 100 points (three) than they totaled in the 59 games before Durant’s injury.
It also didn’t help that Golden State became physically drained during an eight-city, 13-day odyssey that spanned nearly 13,000 miles. Players often switched once or twice before giving up the easy bucket.
“The defense is all about multiple rotations and sticking with it,” Kerr said. “I think we were only defending the first part of every play. We weren’t going the whole shot clock.”
In addition to resting Green, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala for the Warriors’ March 11 loss in San Antonio, the Warriors have benefited from a less grueling stretch of travel. They enter Sunday’s game against Washington having played only four road games in 21 days.
Now, with Durant nearing his return, Golden State leads the NBA in lowest opponent field-goal percentage, steals, blocks and points off turnovers while ranking second in defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions). In games Tuesday and Friday, the Warriors have held MVP frontrunner James Harden to a combined 9-for-38 shooting in two Houston losses.
On a micro level, Iguodala, David West, Matt Barnes and, of course, Green have been defensive standouts. But with Durant out, perhaps no one has made more strides on that side of the ball than McGee. Over his past three games, he has nine blocks.
Almost all of those came in the manner coaches prefer: with his feet set as the opponents rush him at the rim.
“He’s worked on the little things,” said assistant coach and defensive specialist Ron Adams. “It’s all part of the puzzle.”