Steve Kerr has professed some legitimate worry with the Golden State Warriors' lack of rebounding prowess through the early get-go. Out of the 38 teams to take the floor in preseason, the Warriors rank 34th out of 38 teams by rebounding just 65.6% of their opponent’s misses, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Monday's 104-98 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Lakers brought up yet another issue: fouling, as many young teams tend to do. The Warriors, who shot a measly 18% on their first 17 first-quarter shots, weren't making things easier at the defensive end, fouling unnecessarily against an undermanned Lakers team still battling through travel fatigue after spending last week in China.
Kerr wasn't pleased with the performance:
“That’s why this was a really disappointing game, especially the first half,” Kerr said. “You talk about fouling over and over again, keep saying we have to defend without fouling. Then they go to the line 12 times in the first quarter? It’s just really, really frustrating.”
Dwight Howard paraded to the foul line 10 times and the Lakers shot 39 free throws in the game, a stark comparison to the Warriors' 23. Kerr sees trouble ahead if these bad habits persist:
“If we don’t get that cleaned up, we’re in huge trouble this year,” Kerr said. “We know that. We’re a different defensive team. We’ve lost an unbelievable amount of wing length and versatility. So we’ll be a different defensive team and we’ll have to defend without fouling and rebound.”
The Warriors went from being the fifth-oldest team in the league to one of the youngest, now with veterans Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and Kevin Durant gone from their roster. The propensity to foul was expected to be there, but the lack of rebounding speaks more to the Warriors' lack of depth to their problems cleaning up the glass.
Golden State has started this season without Willie Cauley-Stein or Kevon Looney, two significant rebounders for this team, leaving an undersized Draymond Green and newcomer Marquese Chriss to haul in the boards. With no Green suiting up on Monday, it was Chriss and rookie Eric Paschall in charge in the frontcourt, and while they fared evenly against the Lakers, it's only further proof of how lean their production can be.
Chriss did well with a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, sprinkling in four assists, three blocks, and a steal, compounding his case for a spot on the roster. Meanwhile, Paschall and Omari Spellman fought for boards without much to show for it, combining for seven between them.
A quick look at the numbers reveal that Kerr should worry about his defense, but he should worry about his depth more, as there is little the Warriors can do this year to bring in better talent after being locked into a hard cap this season.
Follow Us
Subscribe