The Golden State Warriors didn’t get what they wanted in the offseason. They didn’t make the ‘big splash’ acquisition they were aiming for. Paul George is in Philly in spite of the Warriors’ best efforts. Lauri Markkanen ended up being a mirage.
Instead, the Warriors got exactly what they needed — fresh faces and fresh voices from the bench. Golden State is off to a surprising 10-2 start mainly due to their revamped defense. The Dubs are currently fourth in the NBA in defensive rating (107.9), thanks to one of those fresh voices in Jerry Stackhouse.
The 18-year NBA vet and G League Coach of the Year came to the Bay in October as an assistant to help improve a Warriors defense that was ranked 15th in the league last season and 14th the season before. ‘Stack’ has shaped the Warriors’ defense in his image: tough, scrappy and gritty. He has stepped into team practices to demonstrate exactly what he wants to see.
“He’ll get in a stance and he’ll show you exactly what he means,” Moses Moody said Sunday.
Early this season, the unit has gone from a disjointed shell of itself to a formidable machine.
Here are a few observations from the unit’s rebuild.
Connectivity
Last season, the Warriors lost 13 games in which they were ahead by 12 points or more. These games were lost mainly because of defensive meltdowns in crunch time. Golden State was ranked 23rd in the league in clutch defense (115.6). Why? Because of blown rotations, reaching, and biting on pump fakes. That hasn’t been the case so far this season. Regardless of the set, the Warriors have been connected and cohesive defensively.
One example came Tuesday against Dallas: Andrew Wiggins and Trayce Jackson-Davis trapped Luka Doncic while Stephen Curry and DeAnthoy Melton stayed home. Later in the play, Draymond Green helped and recovered to catch a block which led to a bucket in transition.
A season ago, the Warriors may have over-helped in that situation. Green was free to roam and help slightly before recovering to block the shot. Defensively, the Warriors are more disciplined in terms of not only fighting the urge to overhelp and blow rotations but they’ve also limited biting on pump fakes and reaching.
Applying pressure
The Warriors’ defense under Stackhouse is very aggressive, and that aggression has been paying off in transition. With 21.4 points per game, the Warriors are third in the league in points off of turnovers, 5.3 points from the 16.1 mark of last season.
There have been instances of sets being stretched beyond the perimeter where two defenders are blitzing and pressuring the ball handler, bending him to their will and forcing turnovers to get rewarded on the other end with buckets.
In their win in Boston, the Warriors were able to turn the game on its head by the blitzes.
In one prime example, Curry and Wiggins trapped Tatum outside the 3-point arc on a pick-and-roll, forcing Tatum to pick up his dribble and pass to Celtics big man Neemias Queta.
Moses Moody swarmed to Queta on the weak side and stole the ball to start a fast break.
These traps have been a staple in Stackhouse’s defense and Golden State is thriving because of them.
Moody said at Sunday’s practice that Stackhouse uses terminology in coaching that helps him remember techniques and keep a specific mindset.
“He’ll say, ‘Lay in the weeds.’ He’s talking about like a lion or whatever, like in the weeds, reacting either way,” Moody said. “When he talks about that on defense, it puts an image in your head so you can think of it like that in crucial moments.”
Buy-in and accountability
As a vet, Stackhouse has credibility and cache. He has the pulse of the locker room and their attention. Stackhouse can relate to these guys and also call them out if needed. At Vanderbilt, the 2023 SEC Coach of the Year was known for his stern, no-nonsense approach.
Related Articles
Warriors’ Kerr not surprised Draymond Green’s foul upgraded to flagrant
The Warriors are for real
Draymond Green’s foul against Zach Edey is upgraded by the NBA to a flagrant 1
Draymond Green compares Sharks’ Celebrini to LeBron James in one respect
Defense, depth key Warriors win over Grizzlies
“If you’ve got coaches like that who brings that type of energy, that (will be honest with) anybody no matter who it is, from Steph to the last man, a lot of people love to play for guys like that,” Jonathan Kuminga said after Sunday’s practice. “And listen to guys like that. Because he knows what he’s talking about.”
Green is gunning for his second Defensive Player Of the Year award not only because of his own motivation, he also has Stackhouse holding him accountable. Curry has been locked in defensively, filling up the box scores in steals and being more aggressive as a help defender. Buddy Hield is another player giving effort on defense beyond his reputation. He tries to play the passing lanes to get steals and is willing to trap.
Stackhouse is motivating the entire roster to be locked in and connected defensively. His aggressive and proactive schemes have this Warriors team ready to make noise throughout the year.
The Warriors may not have made the big splash they envisioned but with Stackhouse powering a top-five defense, they got the best splash.
Beat reporter Danny Emerman contributed to this story.