Steph, Kerr hope much-needed reset is cure for weak defense

SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors concluded their two-day minicamp Thursday, and it won’t take long to determine how well the lessons were absorbed.

The first glimpse comes Friday, when the Cleveland Cavaliers, sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference, visit Chase Center.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr and his staff emphasized defense during practices Wednesday and Thursday, and the Cavaliers (8-3) rank third in offensive rating (115.8) and are one of two teams shooting better than 48 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep.

The Warriors (4-7) have been disgusted with their defense (115.8 defensive rating, 27th in the NBA), so they went back to basics.

“Focus,” Kerr said Thursday. “Defending by showing your hands, defending without fouling. Transition defense, making sure we’re taking care of the easy stuff. And then boxing out and avoiding second opportunities for our opponents.

“But the biggest thing is the fouls. It’s hard to win games when you’re constantly sending your opponent to the line. That’s been the main focus.”

Golden State’s opponents are averaging an NBA-high 29.5 free throws a game, a sharp contrast to the 22.9 average last season. The 2016-17 Phoenix Suns are the only other team over the last 10 seasons to allow opponents to shoot more than 29 free throws per game.

The pleas to reduce the fouling was heard loudly and clearly by at least one player: Stephen Curry.

“That’s the biggest lesson for everybody,” he said. “We have to be accountable as the vets to do the same thing because we are guilty of dumb fouls and lack of focus. The young guys have to experience that as well. Whether you’re playing four minutes or 20 minutes, it could come down to two or three possessions that you’re involved in that could change the momentum of a game.

“When you look around the league, games come down to the wire all the time. There are a lot of teams that are 2-8 but have lost single-digit games they’d been in down the stretch. Three or four possessions can change the outcome. We’ve been on the wrong side of that too many times early in the season.”

Five of Golden State’s losses have been by single digits, averaging 5.8 points. With them scoring 117.3 points per game and their opponents at 120.6 – second- highest average allowed in the league – free throws can be the difference.

A note of warning: Only six NBA teams shoot more free throws than Cleveland’s 24.2 per game, and only five shoot a higher percentage than its 81.2.

The Warriors have been outrebounded in seven games, losing six. And their transition defense, as Kerr alluded to, has been atrocious and compounded by the fact that the Warriors are committing an average of 16.7 turnovers per game, the fourth-highest total in the league. Only two teams are allowing more points off turnovers than their 21.7.

So, yes, defense was the obvious area to belabor during the three-day break in the schedule.

RELATED: Steph envisions 'pick-your-poison' offense for Warriors

“It sounds so simple,” Curry said. “We have the personnel. We have the ability to switch a lot of different positions, play traditional with certain bigs, use our athleticism and length.

“But if you don’t give yourself a chance to make your presence felt on defense by fouling and (sending opponents) to the free-throw line and getting easy buckets, getting second and third attempts at possessions because they’re getting offensive rebounds, all that stuff just negates all the work that you put into the principles of your defense.”

The Warriors have solid defensive personnel, most notably Draymond Green and Kevon Looney. Looney is playing well, while Green is a level below his standard. That Andrew Wiggins’ defensive rating this season is virtually the same as Atlanta’s Trae Young is a statement in itself. Klay Thompson and Curry have been inconsistent, while none of the reserves have distinguished themselves, though Moses Moody has been good in spots.

The loss of Mike Brown, the assistant coach responsible for defense, surely is felt but his partner on that end, Chris DeMarco, remains to assist first-year defensive coordinator Kenny Atkinson.

This week was a restart, then, for Kerr and his entire staff.

“It’s rare to get a day off and then two straight days of practice; that might only happen once or twice a season,” Kerr said. “It’s a great chance to recharge the batteries with the day off and then be really locked in for a couple good practices, taking care of details and execution stuff at both ends. That’s what we’ve done. The focus and the energy have been fantastic.”

The Cavaliers will be the first team to discover if any of that translates into a much sharper, crisper Golden State defense.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast