As any NBA fan knows, offense has not been a problem for the Golden State Warriors the last two seasons. In that same span, the Warriors haven’t exactly slacked off on defense, either, ranking No. 1 (in 2014-15) and No. 5 (last season) in Defensive Efficiency. So how will the offseason addition of Kevin Durant — who should no doubt make that Golden State offense even more potent — affect the Warriors’ defense? Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com caught up with Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams to get his thoughts on that topic:
“Ron can’t wait,” Leah Adams, wife of the veteran assistant, tells CSNBayArea.com, “to integrate Kevin into that defense.”
Understand, now, that Ron and Leah have known Durant since 2008, when he was entering his second NBA season – and first in Oklahoma City, where Adams was an assistant coach. They have history together, as Adams spent two seasons in OKC. So Durant’s decision to join the Warriors is something of a reunion.
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Now that Durant is a veteran steeped in the NBA game, the “small” forward represents quite the intriguing lab project for Adams. He’s listed at 6-foot-9, but is closer to 7 feet. His wingspan is 7-5. He’s an eager and capable defender, as the Warriors learned in the Western Conference Finals against Durant’s former team.
“His versatility is outstanding,” Ron Adams says of Durant. “He’s a terrific defender, who played with great defensive consistency in our playoff series. We will expect a lot out of him in that regard.”
Durant’s versatility is perfect for the schemes devised by Adams, who believes the new roster will continue to be suited for switching on defense. The Warriors last season switched on 24 percent of screens, by far the most in the league. Durant’s defensive metrics on switches are vastly superior to those of former Warriors small forward Harrison Barnes.
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“He can, if necessary, guard all five positions – and do it effectively,” Adams says of Durant, who spent most of the conference finals smothering Warriors forward Draymond Green.
“He’s a really good rim protector, in a non-traditional way,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr says. “When he played the ‘four’ against us in the playoffs, he was brilliant. He blocked some shots and he scored a bunch of times. So he’ll play a lot of ‘four’ for us, for sure.”
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“I personally think he will really blossom here as a playmaker,” Adams says of Durant, who finished behind only LeBron James for assists among small forwards. “He can play the point; he played point a lot for Oklahoma City over the years. He likes involving his teammates.
“I don’t know how you rank him in the pantheon of current players,” Adams adds. “But no matter how you do it, he’s certainly in the top three in the world.”
