5 reasons Warriors win 2017 NBA title with Kevin Durant
By Tom West
4. The new “Super Death” lineup
Kevin Durant is a lot better than Harrison Barnes. Not much of a hot take, I know, but that’s the vital element to not only the Warriors upgrading at small forward, but unlocking even more potential with their signature “death lineup”.
As the Warriors went towards their record-breaking 73 wins last season, they further established the definitive lineup of the NBA’s small-ball era. With Curry, Thompson, Iguodala, Barnes, and Draymond Green, the Warriors’ death lineup recorded a dominant net rating of +44.4 in 173 minutes together (per Basketball Reference).
So, when switching Barnes for a blindingly superior player in Durant, it’s safe to say that lineup will be even better.
Not only is Durant one of the best scorers we’ve ever seen and a better shooter and creator than Barnes, but he can operate incredibly well at power forward.
Against the Warriors in the Conference Finals, we saw that on full display.
Besides his scoring, Durant’s defense was tremendous, using his length and speed to crash the boards, hustle players outside, and unleash his wingspan and instincts to protect the rim, averaging 1.7 blocks per game for the series and 2.2 over the last five contests.
That kind of defensive ability (which is often underrated) alongside Green at the five is terrifying for opponents, as are most elements of this team.
Next, the current lack of size without Bogut and Ezeli will need to be addressed over the rest of free agency, although plenty of veterans will be ready to sign up in Golden State now.
It goes without saying that this new Warriors team will need some time to work out the kinks, adjust their ball movement, figure out what it’s playing with Durant and vice versa. But once they figure that out, and it’s clearly the system that Durant wanted to buy into, the possibilities, matchup nightmares, and small-ball potential will be absurd.
Next: 3. Durant takes pressure off Curry