Are The Warriors Vulnerable On The Interior?
On the year, the Golden State Warriors are only allowing 43.8 points in the paint per game, the fifth-best mark in the entire NBA, but they have looked vulnerable inside at times defensively.
The number above sure doesn’t say so, but Kevon Looney is the only interior presence defensively for the Warriors and has been with Draymond Green missing nearly two months of action.
Looney is a sensational role player and a really strong defender in his own right, as he has held his own all season against the likes of Nikola Jokic and Karl-Anthony Towns, but in a playoff series against these guys, Kevon Looney may have trouble being the only Warriors’ big man.
Golden State will likely have to face Rudy Gobert, Nikola Jokic, or Karl-Anthony Towns in the first round of the playoffs and then as they advance, they will have to come up with answers for Deandre Ayton on the Suns and possibly both Jaren Jackson Jr. and Steven Adams on the Grizzlies as well.
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The Grizzlies are the best interior scoring team in the league this season and the Suns rank sixth in the league in points in the paint. The Warriors’ defense is elite right now and for good reason, but Kevon Looney can only do so much for them inside, leading to some questions surrounding their ability to keep their opponents out of the lane and forcing tough, contested jump shots.
Being a smaller team at times, the Warriors are definitely vulnerable, especially against a lengthy interior-focused team like the Timberwolves with Towns, McDaniels, and Vanderbilt all on the perimeter and crashing the glass.
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Given how well they have played defense this season, particularly on the interior, this does not seem like a major question or concern for the Warriors, but teams in the postseason could definitely look to attack the Warriors and Kevon Looney every chance they get on offense.
