[ad_1]
Prior to his right calf injury on Wednesday, Kevin Durant was not only leading the Golden State Warriors, he was the all-time leading scorer in the NBA playoffs. As the Warriors face the Houston Rockets on the road in Game 6 (Friday at 9 pm ET on ESPN) without KD, the way they replace his incredible 34.2 points per game this post-season is the biggest immediate question .
Can Golden State find new and reliable ways to score? In a series where the five matches were decided at six points or less, the answer to this question could determine who will be going to the final phase of the Western Conference. The points are the ultimate motto in these games, and Durant scored 29% of the Warriors' playoff points.
His firing chart leaves no doubt that he is one of the best scorers in the world, but he is also by far the most effective 2-point threat of the Warriors. Durant did 90 2 points in the playoffs; Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined to make 91.
Yet, if there is a team that can absorb its loss, it's the Oakland superteam. Any conversation about replacing KD must use three key elements: score, depth and defense.
All eyes will be on Curry – the most useful player twice and the biggest shooter known to man – to trigger the offense. Its utilization rate this post-season is 25.2%, lower than that of Pascal Siakam. It has an average of 23.5 PPG. Curry has to take charge, and its use and score must increase.
It will not be easy Curry has never exceeded the average of 28.3 PPG in series, so it is unreasonable to expect that it will replace more than a fraction of the Durant's charge, especially in a world where Houston can now pay much more defensive attention to slowing down his manners.
From Houston's point of view, Durant's absence releases PJ Tucker's defensive resources. Followed by second, Tucker faced Durant more than twice as often as any other Houston defenseman in this series. With Durant set aside, Tucker will probably spend more time chasing Curry and Draymond Green.
Tucker has a way to reduce the effectiveness of these two types. Each guy has experienced a decline in use, efficiency in shooting and points when he has been lined up against him in the past two seasons.
Curry and Green vs. PJ Tucker
| Curry (vs.PJ) | Curry (vs. HOU) | Green (vs. PJ) | Green (vsHOU) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USG | 22.6 | 28.8 | 9.7 | 12.4 |
| eFG | 52.2 | 53.3 | 38.9 | 51.0 |
| Points / 100 | 23.6 | 31.1 | 8.1 | 13.3 |
| Source: Second spectrum since 2017-18 | ||||
Replacing 34 KD points per contest is a huge task that will require a team effort. Curry and Thompson must be on the front line of this campaign. They both scored 25 points or more each for the first time in the playoffs in the fifth game, which is encouraging. It's also a good barometer to watch out for: the Dubs are 9-3 in the playoffs when both Splash Brothers have lost at least 25.
But it's not just about scoring.
No warrior played more minutes in the playoffs than Durant, and considering that this team was already dangerously lean after the match. DeMarcus Cousins, depth is a major concern here. Head coach Steve Kerr has a total of 240 minutes to hand out to his team in Game 6. Until now, Durant took 16% of that time. Where will these minutes go?
In the Houston series, Kerr relied heavily on an eight-person rotation including Hamptons 5, Shaun Livingston, Kevon Looney and Alfonzo McKinnie. But after KD fell in Game 5, Jonas Jerebko broke the rotation and Looney played nine of the last 14 minutes of the match. These guys are good players. But not only do they represent a huge step forward on the offensive side, but they also degrade the defense.
The most underrated component of Durant's game is his ability to deter buckets. It has become an impressive defensive piece for Golden State. The same combination of intelligence, skill and length that makes him a terrifying marker makes him versatile and effective in defense.
In pursuit of tracking the spectrum per second, he spent more than 75% of his time defending Tucker, Eric Gordon, James Harden and Chris Paul in this series. They are the four best scorers of Houston against the Warriors. Durant's loss to the defender means the Rockets can look for better fights for their top scorers.
The best defensive confrontations of KD in this series
| correspond | # | % |
|---|---|---|
| P.J. Tucker | 149 | 34.9 |
| Eric Gordon | 100 | 23.4 |
| James Harden | 54 | 12.6 |
| Chris Paul | 40 | 9.4 |
| Source: Second spectrum | ||
Durant's substitutes have to defend themselves as well in attack as in defense, and guys like Jerebko and Looney do not scare anyone.
Look at this:
Durant is currently one of the best bilateral players in the world, which means that his effectiveness is virtually impossible to completely replace. But if anyone can do it, it's the defending champions.
They have found ways to beat wounds in the past. One of the benefits of being a superteam, is that the following proverbial men call Curry and Thompson.
[ad_2]
Source link