4. Zipper Split
Beyond making an already terrifying pick-and-roll combination scarier, Kevin Durant’s efficiency in the post opens the door for the Warriors to turn one of their favorite sets — “Zipper Split” — into an unstoppable pick-your-poison scenario.
Making the set difficult to defend last season was the combination of Curry’s and Klay Thompson’s shooting alongside Green’s playmaking all contained to one side of the floor. Since the margin for error is minuscule anytime Curry and Thompson are involved in a play, the smallest of defensive breakdowns on the wings had a way of creating open shots for them.
With Durant taking Green’s role on the block, the set can now act as an isolation in the post for Durant while Curry and Thompson draw defenders out of the paint. Durant was essentially the best scorer with his back to the basket last season, ranking in the 99.6 percentile with 1.23 points per possession. Green, on the other hand, ranked in the 19.7 percentile with 0.67 points per possession. That means teams won’t be able to relax as much when the ball enters the post due to Durant’s ability to pull of moves like this against the NBA’s best defenders:
Once again, it’s a good example of how the Warriors offense could be otherworldly.