Draymond Green looks rejuvenated. So has the Warriors’ defense.
With under eight minutes left in the fourth quarter — with the Golden State Warriors protecting a nine-point lead built on the back of an 8-0 run without Steph Curry on the floor — the New York Knicks (without Jalen Brunson available and Karl-Anthony Towns being fronted by Jimmy Butler near the left block) were gearing up for an exit-screen play for Mikal Bridges toward the right corner.
While everyone did their part in the possession below, pay particular attention to Draymond Green and Moses Moody — defending Josh Hart and Bridges, respectively. When Moody falls behind on his screen navigation against Bridges, Green steps up to close the space and switch, with Moody falling back to “peel” switch onto Hart. This combination of maneuvers instantaneously closes the momentary hole created by the Knicks:
When those options are taken away, the Knicks immediately flow into their next progression: a flare screen on the weak side for OG Anunoby, guarded by Gui Santos. Just like Moody, Santos falls behind on his efforts to fight over the screen by Towns, with Anunoby threatening to drive to the rim.
However, Green — having had to step up near the free-throw line to guard Bridges — is there to save the day. He shifts laterally to rotate and send Anunoby’s attempt at the rim back:
It was a microcosm of the Warriors’ defensive performance against the Knicks. Coverage mistakes were few and far in between (although those few mistakes almost ended up costing them). Every Warrior felt in sync with each other, as if connected by an invisible string that tugged with just the right amount of force to pull players toward where they needed to be, without overdoing things.
In that regard, the safety of backline security has been allowing the Warriors to play adventurous point-of-attack defense. Green has the capability to blow possessions up by his lonesome, although he’s more empowered to do so when he’s assured of who his teammates are on the backline. As such, when he springs sudden hedges and traps, he does so with the trust that Butler is behind him to fortify the backline (and that Moody is ready to veer back out toward Bridges, who previously set the back screen on the “Stack” pick-and-roll action):
And that Butler and Gary Payton II are the ones occupying the weak-side and strong-side corners, with Moody lurking and ready to rotate to wherever he needs to be:
Although this is in no way a new development, the Warriors have been at the top of the pecking order when it comes to rim prevention. Opponents take 24.7% of their shots at the rim against the Warriors — the lowest opponent rim-attempt rate in the NBA this season, per Cleaning The Glass. While preventing opponents from taking one of the most efficient shots in basketball is a good thing, it can also open up the other most efficient shot: three pointers.
But despite the sacrifice that entails an emphasis toward shutting down the rim, the Warriors have been decent (not good, but not bad) at the frequency of threes they allow from opponents: 13th in opponent three-point attempt rate. “Decent” can often be good enough if limiting opponents to a low frequency of up-close shots is the name of the game.
For example: on this drive, where multiple defenders pinch in to stop an Anunoby middle-lane drive. Green adds a dig at the “nail” (area approximating the middle of the free-throw line) to throw Anunoby off balance. Despite Anunoby’s difficulties driving into traffic, he still manages to whip the pass to an open Cam Payne.
The caveat: Payne has been struggling over his last 10 games from beyond the arc (27.6%). While defensive gameplans typically aren’t based on recent form, this was a shot the Warriors were willing to dare Payne to shoot:
The Knicks weren’t helped by the fact they are 27th in the NBA in three-point attempt rate. They took only 24 attempts from three against the Warriors (making only nine of them). At times, the Warriors dared them to shoot, especially when lineups bereft of shooting and spacing talent were on the floor. To make matters worse for the Knicks, the Warriors unsheathed timely 1-3-1 zone possessions to throw them off kilter, change the pace, and force them into ill-advised shots or passes.
Other times, it was the complete lack of difficulty even getting past the first line of defense that did the Knicks in. Part of why Steve Kerr chose to favor a smaller lineup with Draymond Green at the five was to account for the perimeter — either the possibility of Towns getting open for a pick-and-pop three (which still happened) or someone else blowing by at the point of attack.
Smaller lineups with Green at the anchor — complemented by the likes of Butler, Moody, and Santos — allowed the Warriors to switch more freely (although, not everything — in the possession below, note how Curry fought over screens to stay on Bridges, while everyone else were free to switch):
Despite Kerr’s preference for small lineups against this Towns-anchored version of the Knicks (in contrast to their previous matchup, where their focal point was Brunson), Quinten Post did not allow himself to be just a footnote despite his temporary relegation to the bench. His improvement in terms of defensive fundamentals has been extremely interesting to watch, especially with regard to how his feet and hips have responded positively to the challenges thrown at him by opponents.
Despite Towns’ 29-point night on 66.3% True Shooting, the Warriors held the Knicks to a stingy 101.1 points per 100 possessions. In the Butler era — during which they have a 14-1 record with Butler in the lineup — the Warriors have been the second-best defensive team in the league, holding opponents to 108.2 points per 100 possessions, with only the Detroit Pistons (107.7 points per 100 possessions) besting them in that regard.
Butler’s arrival has rejuvenated this squad on multiple levels. Curry is playing with a renewed sense of purpose, one that felt conspicuously absent prior to the trade deadline. Green has been equally revived — and as a result, the entire defensive machinery suddenly has the cogs and efficiency that hasn’t been seen since the early part of the season.