Kevin Durant is known for his transcendent talent on offense, but the Warriors will be looking at him to also provide on the defensive side of the ball.
Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area has a great story about what assistant coach Ron Adams has in mind for Durant in terms of fitting into the team’s defensive identity.
Adams is a defensive guru, and undeniably a huge reason for the success of this team over the last few years.
While the explosive offense might garner most of the headlines, it’s the defensive versatility and efficiency this team provides that truly sets them apart.
By most accounts, #Warriors fans will be pleasantly surprised by the way @KDTrey5 plays defense. https://t.co/0BS6bFcWjN
— Monte Poole (@MontePooleCSN) August 29, 2016
Durant is a lengthy weapon on the defensive end with his quick feet and 7’5’’ wingspan. Adams has high hopes for Durant in the defensive scheme the team runs.
“His versatility is outstanding,” said Adams about Durant. “He’s a terrific defender, who played with great defensive consistency in our playoff series.”
Consistency is the key world in that sentence. It always amazed me that with his unique physical tools, Durant never became a premier lockdown defender in this league.
It’s there in flashes, but not with the type of regularity to be All-Defense material, although perhaps that will change in the future.
Adams knows Durant well, having been an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2008-2010.
The Warriors deploy quick, lengthy defenders who’re capable of switching on pick-and-rolls. They actually lead the league in the percentage of screens they switched on.
That’s highly dependent on the personnel out on the court, and Durant theoretically fits in perfectly with what the Warriors can do on defense.
At small forward, his defensive metrics on pick-and-roll switches last season were better than what Harrison Barnes provided the Warriors.
It’ll be exciting to see Durant thrive on the defensive side of the ball. He’s certainly more than capable of great defensive play.
Within this system, there’s no reason to expect him not to succeed on defense. After all, not many players possess his quickness with a wingspan of 7’5’’.