Kevin Durant injury opens door for Warriors’ young bench
As much as a knee injury to a mobile 7-footer with a history of lower-leg problems can be a blessing, the Kevin Durant injury is precisely that for the shallow Golden State Warriors bench. Disguised as misfortune with Golden State pulling for the first seed in the Western Conference, this stretch will instead give their youngsters an opportunity to prove themselves and get comfortable in time for the ruthless grind of the NBA playoffs.
When fans started to worry last June after the Warriors added second-round steal Patrick McCaw to their trove of young role players, they were probably expecting something like this. The thinking is simple: Golden State couldn’t possibly keep up their freakish health streak, and if they landed their big target (Durant), they’d be even more depleted. A short bench could be this super team’s weakness.
But by drafting McCaw, the Warriors alleviated those concerns with one of the best value picks of the entire night. After the news of Durant’s MCL sprain, which will keep him out until right around the start of the postseason, that McCaw pick (and others like it) are looking better by the minute.
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Based on the smooth athleticism McCaw flashed at the collegiate level, it was easy to imagine him fitting nicely when the Warriors got out in transition. The less ideal fit appeared to be the slower parts of the game, where McCaw’s slow shot and lack of size might disadvantage him early on. However, by keeping defenders off balance and making difficult shots in the paint, McCaw has stayed useful for the best team in the league.
He’s been so useful, in fact, that he has provided legitimate competition for Ian Clark for backup guard minutes. And now of course he’s earning the opportunity to take on a bigger role as the Warriors transition (in the short-term) to life without Durant.
In McCaw, Golden State has a shifty dribble-driver, a 3-point shooter whom defenses must respect and an impressively spry finisher:
On defense, McCaw uses his long arms and focused energy to disrupt play after play. He lurks in the half court waiting to gobble steals, but generally not to the detriment of the Warriors’ second unit. The team is only slightly worse defensively when McCaw is on the court, but that number is probably clouded by the fact that he plays almost entirely on bench units.
Regardless, he’s effective on- and off-ball on defense:
Due to the Warriors’ lack of wing depth, Clark actually stands as the other Warrior who stands to benefit most from the stretch Durant is about to miss. The third year guard is shooting 39 percent on 3-pointers this season on a healthy 5.5 attempts per 36 minutes. On a team as talented as the Warriors, all it takes to provide value is to shoot 3s really, really well. The spacing and threat of that ability is enough in and of itself to provide opportunities for the superheroes Clark shares the court with.
Besides these two, expect Steve Kerr to tinker further with different combinations of the young big men his front office has accumulated as the stretch run ticks by.
Kevon Looney has posted a league-average PER in 10 minutes per game this season, finishing well and playing good defense. He can play either the three or four. The Warriors basically know what they have in James Michael McAdoo at this point, but he’s a capable injury replacement, blocking three shots per 100 possessions and shooting over 58 percent in limited opportunity. Damian Jones is worth a closer look.
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The reason all of this matters is specific to the Warriors. Kerr is the guy who was giving midseason acquisition and retired hair model Anderson Varejao minutes in THE NBA FINALS. Regardless of Durant’s availability come playoff time, Kerr will have several of these youngsters in his rotation throughout May and June. Durant’s injury just gives him a better look at the group he’ll be choosing from when the time comes.