After finishing in the top five in defensive efficiency during the past three seasons, the Warriors defense has taken a step back.
Through the first 11 games of the season, Golden State is ranked 23rd in defensive efficiency, and was poor again last night, allowing the Toronto Raptors to score 121 points and shoot 41 free throws.
Warriors assistant coach and defensive guru Ron Adams joined the Murph and Mac Show on Thursday morning, and attempted to explain the team’s defensive struggles this year, saying that the Golden State’s style of offense is partially to blame.
“Our offense gets us in trouble from time to time defensively,” Adams said
“We have a very dynamic offense as you guys know. We take a lot of 3’s and you have to have really good defensive transition when you’re shooting that many 3’s. Sometimes we shoot quickly. Most of the time the shots are good shots, but when they’re not we’re back on our heels defensively. There’s this very profound relationship between offense and defense.”
The Warriors have the top ranked offense in the league and have attempted the fourth most 3’s per game so far this season. Because the Warriors offense is so potent, and can make up large deficits in short amounts of time, Adams argues that the team sometimes has trouble keeping consistent focus.
“I think with this team offensively it comes easy at times, most of the time, and I think there’s a psychology that we’re going to get out of this, we’ll be fine,” Adams continued. “Again we’re probably a bit too casual weather it’s defensively, weather it’s offensively at times.”
Still from a personnel standpoint, Adams believes that once the new look Warriors gel, they have the potential to be a great defensive team.
“We’re adjusting obviously defensively to a new team. I like this team defensively, I think we can be really good. It might be a bit different defensive team. For the most part I think we’re growing, but I think our consistency has got to get a lot better.”
Listen to the full interview below.