While the Golden State Warriors likely have the NBA’s most-talented roster, head coach Steve Kerr does have a concern about one area — rim protection.
With Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezili gone, new addition Zaza Pachulia figures to get the majority of the minutes at center. Kerr noted his concern, pointing out that Pachulia is not a traditional rim protector.
“The thing that’s different will be a lack of rim protection,” Kerr said, via Monte Poole CSNBayArea.com. “We had great rim protection from Bogut and Ezeli, and both those guys are gone. Zaza’s a very good defender, but he’s more of a positional guy than a shot blocker….So there’s definitely adjustments we’ll have to make, even schematically. We’ll have some growing pains, especially on defense, as we try to make sure we get everything right and comfortable.”
That’s indeed true. Rim protection is an important element, especially against teams with speedy perimeter players. Bogut’s injury during the 2016 NBA Finals was one of the main turning points of the series.
The good news for the Warriors is that they’re still quite well equipped to keep opponents from getting to the rim.
Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala are some of the better, more diverse defenders in the NBA. Those guys, along with the long reach of Kevin Durant, should go a long way in keeping opponents from the basket.
The other bit of good news is that the NBA season is long. Kerr and the Warriors can spend plenty of time trying to work different schemes out, figuring out what works and what does not.