Since the All-Star Break, the Golden State Warriors rank just 16th in Defensive Efficiency. Prior to that break, though, they were second. While it’s still just a minor sample size since the league resumed its action in mid-February, it’s still something that is somewhat concerning to some people.
However, could the defensive struggles actually be because of the offense? While that sounds weird to say, it actually might be true. And it’s something that Warriors star Draymond Green thinks is the case right now. His rationale about it also makes a lot of sense when he breaks it down.
From Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle:
“Our defense is suffering because of our offense,” said power forward Draymond Green, who found the energy to give it straight, even after needing intravenous fluids to play through strep throat. “If you can’t get the defense set, you’re fouling to stop the ball. All of sudden, you’re in the penalty and sitting there at the free-throw line. We can’t get the tempo of the game where we want it. Our defense won’t get better until our offense gets better.”
He’s not wrong. Playing defense after a miss is far tougher than playing it after a make. Your defense can get set after a make, but not necessarily after a miss. Transition, secondary transition, and things of that nature can lead to far easier looks for the opponent against your defense. Offense does help defense.
The Warriors are one of the best defensive teams in the league after a made basket, but one of the bottom ones when it comes to missing a shot and the opponent getting a rebound off of it. Maybe the best defense is letting it get setup at all. So it looks like Green is onto something here. After all, the Warriors have watched their Offensive Efficiency dip by six points from before the All-Star Break.