The Warriors were looking for a sign of improvement against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.
Of course, there were several aspects of the game that they needed to address, but after sleepwalking during the game against the Phoenix Suns two nights earlier, a stark priority was to be more locked up and find more energy.
If the Warriors could do that – play with more courage and energy – the other problems that plagued the team would start to fall into place.
In their 118-91 victory over the Pistons at the Chase Center, they did just that. And according to Steve Kerr, one statistic in particular shows the amount of energy your team played with: rebounds.
“It’s mostly (indicative) of focus,” Kerr told reporters at a Zoom post-game conference. “When we recover well, it is because everyone is locked up and hitting bodies. It really takes five players. Tonight was one of our best games in terms of focus and intention.”
The Warriors overcame the Pistons by 47-39 and limited Detroit to just seven offensive strikes.
It is no accident that the Warriors had an extra focus on Saturday. Against the Suns, they were anything but, and Phoenix took advantage of that.
Everything needed to change after this loss. And it all started with the way the Warriors approached the game from the beginning.
“From the beginning, I thought we were defending with intensity, and the most important thing was our recovery,” said Kerr. “When we can hold on to the glass, we can go out and run. I think we are fifth in the league in percentage of defensive shots.
The statistic that Kerr continued to share with his team after the game was that the Warriors is fifth in the league in percentage of defensive field goal, which means that the Warriors is the fifth best team in the NBA to prevent their opponent from scoring. But, according to Draymond Green, stopping a shot means nothing if you fail to rebound.
“It is one of the most important things on the defensive side,” said Draymond Green. “You have to finish possession.”
The Warriors are 17th in the league in rebounds, averaging 44.2 per game. Of course, beating opponents is not the key to winning for the Warriors. There were defeats in which they won the scholarships and victories when they were defeated by the rebounds. It is being competitive in that area.
Golden State’s recovery problems peaked two weeks ago in a defeat in Denver. In that game, the Warriors were defeated 14-8 in the first quarter alone and lost the battle on the tables by seven. The first court had just 12 rebounds in 88 minutes. Steph Curry led the way with 11 in 37 minutes, a telltale sign that it’s not about size, it’s about focus and determination.
“We have some small formations out there sometimes and that requires everyone to rebound, be physical,” said Curry. “Sometimes you have to box, not hoping to get the rebound yourself, but to help someone else … It’s a compromise thing.”
Against the Pistons, no Warrior recovered with double digits. But when all 12 players who saw the action caught at least one rebound – five of whom caught five or more – everything is fine. James Wiseman led the group with nine.
Rebounding sets the Warriors – and any team – to success. This allows them to go out and play in the transition, crossing the half court before the defense is defined.
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“It fuels our attack and allows us to gain some momentum, especially at the start of the games,” said Curry. “We have capable ball handlers, who can push in the transition when you get a rebound and obviously the defense cannot be defined. You can get a good flow. At the end of the day, it lowers the confidence of the other team knowing that we are going make them bid hard and they’ll only have one chance. “
Recovery has been a priority for the Warriors since the off-season. It is one of the reasons why they wrote Wiseman. That’s why they were shopping around Marc Gasol during the free agency. That’s why they started the season with a rotation of three centers by Wiseman, Kevon Looney and Marquese Chriss.
The Warriors know how important the rebound is. Succeeding in councils will not solve all problems. But if recovery is a sign of focus and energy, improving in that area will mean that more positive changes must occur.
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