The Warriors are about to play their seventh straight game this postseason without Kevin Durant, as the star forward nurses his strained right calf. The Dubs have only lost one of those contests, but it just happened to come Thursday in Game 1 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Raptors.
Kings guard De'Aaron Fox faced the Warriors four times this season, losing each time. Durant suited up for every game, and Fox knows firsthand how Golden State's offense changes without Durant on the floor.
"Without KD, it's definitely the ball movement," Fox said Thursday morning on FS1's Undisputed before Game 1. "They don't have a guy that's going to isolate. But if KD's on the floor, you gotta give him that space, you have to. Most of the great players, you gotta be able to let them isolate. But that's the great thing about Steph, he doesn't have to isolate."
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The Warriors' offense becomes much more motion-heavy with Curry running off screens when Durant is out of the mix. KD could be one of the greatest isolation players of all time with his combination of size and skill.
"I think that's definitely the biggest part. Everybody gets more touches, everybody gets to feel the ball a little bit more when KD's not playing," Fox continued.
That doesn't mean letting Durant take over and isolate doesn't work, though. He averaged 33.5 points per game in the Warriors' four wins over Fox's squad this season.
Golden State Warriors
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Curry was able to score 34 points in the Warriors' Game 1 loss to the Raptors, but he'll need plenty of others to step up with Durant still out.