The title of best defensive team in the NBA has belonged to Steve Kerr's Golden State Warriors basically all season. As of late, though, the Warriors team that has dominated has been flat-out bad on that end of the floor. After their most recent disappointing performance against the Los Angeles Clippers, Kerr opened up about his team's dilemma.
“Our defense has just been bad,” Kerr told ClutchPoints. “It's been bad for six or seven games now. It's hard to win in this league when you're looking like we are defensively.”
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
In six of the last seven games, the Warriors allowed opponents to score at least 110 points or more each night. They rank 15th in the NBA at 113.3 points per game allowed during that stretch, according to NBA.com.
Article Continues BelowDespite this bad stretch, the Warriors have still managed to maintain the top defensive rating in the NBA, even though they rank 25th in the league over their last seven appearances. Their rating over this span of games is 116.1, which is 11.7 points per 100 possessions higher than the Dubs' league-best mark of 104.4.
*Click here to hear more about your Golden State Warriors*
The difficulties the Dubs are having on defense don't necessarily come by surprise. They are missing the best defensive weapon in the NBA in Draymond Green, who is still injured and won't be back for weeks. Green hasn't stepped on the court since Klay Thompson returned in early January. If you take any team's best defender away, struggles will follow, and that's what's going on with the Warriors on that end.
The Dubs have to be better, but most importantly, they have to get healthy and get Green back on the floor.