Criticize Warriors If You Want; Historically Great Offense Only Getting Better

The prevailing Golden State Warriors story—despite 12 wins in 14 games and a starting lineup filled to the brim with All-Stars—has been about defense.

And for good reason, too. Head coach Steve Kerr’s group is giving up 105.6 points per 100 possessions thus far, a defensive rating roughly five points worse than last season’s 100.9. The Warriors have grabbed only 73.2 percent of available defensive rebounds, which ranks last in the NBA.

On shots within five feet of the rim, the Warriors are allowing opponents to shoot 60.2 percent, seventh-worst in the league and a noticeable uptick from last season’s 57.7 percent. And opponents’ three-point shooting has climbed from 33.2 percent (second-lowest last season) to 34.8 percent (16th in the league).

The Warriors’ inability to put together four good quarters of competent defense has become a constant postgame refrain from Kerr. However, the idea is that with added time and improved chemistry—as well as the addition of a plus defender in Kevin Durant—those numbers will start to crawl back toward the mean, something closer to last season’s marks. (Plus, not everything is doom and gloom; Golden State is third in both blocks and steals; Its defense, when it really matters, has been more than adequate.)

Fortunately, the offense has been proficient beyond expectation. This squad’s efficiency—up to 114.3 points per 100 possessions after Monday night’s 120-83 drubbing of the short-handed Indiana Pacers—is more than three points better than any other team. If it held to season’s end, would represent one of the top offensive campaigns in modern NBA history.

On points alone, the Warriors have been a dynamo. Their 117.1 points-per-game average is more than seven points better than the next-best team, the Los Angeles Lakers (109.8). On top of that, the gap between the No. 1 Warriors and No. 2 Lakers is equal to the gap separating the No. 2 Lakers and No. 20 New Orleans Pelicans (102.5).

No team has averaged even 116 points a game over a whole season since, well, the Warriors popped in more than 118 a game some 25 years ago, during the first post-Run TMC season.

But it’s the team’s passing that has been the true revelation.

Golden State is now averaging 30.9 assists per game and has eclipsed that mark in 10 of 14 contests overall. Entering Monday night’s slate of action, the Atlanta Hawks were next closest with just three such games, and 14 squads had yet to even reach that mark once. The Warriors tallied up more than 400 threes through their first 13 games—a feat only seven other teams have ever pulled off.

And after an early-season slump where their per-game passes were mired in the 270s, the Warriors are now averaging 310.5 passes—good enough for 10th this season and creeping ever closer to last season’s seventh-best average of 323.1.

When the offense is clicking, if only for a play or two, the results are unguardable.

Take, for example, this sequence against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday: With Stephen Curry and Draymond Green getting their customary rest to start the fourth quarter, Shaun Livingston and David West take their place.

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