By Sherilen Clark
The entire Warriors roster has gone through aftershocks with the departure of Kevin Durant and other key veterans. As a result, Steve Kerr might make some unique style adjustments given the chemistry and skills brought in by key roster additions, D’Angelo Russell, and Willie Cauley-Stein.
Many pundits are doubting the Warriors continued offensive prowess. Let’s talk about it.
Yes, the Warriors have lost both key and role players during this off-season, but it isn’t like the cupboard is bare. @NBA_Math rolled out their Top 100 Stat-Stuffing Scores from the 2018-19 season using their NBA Math’s Rolling Player Ratings and there are still plenty of Warriors gracing the top 100 list.
Per @NBA_Math each player in the NBA has been evaluated in 4 crucial categories based on the past season as follows:
1. True Peak (highest single score from 2018-19)
2. 10-Game Peak (average of 10 highest scores)
3. Sum (sum of all scores)
4. Average (average of all scores)
Those who excel in all of these categories are golden and the Warriors still have their fair share of stars on the list.
Needless to say, the Warriors are still going to have plenty of firepower going into the 2019-20 season compared to other NBA teams. Yes, the West is packed, but look for Steph and Draymond to be playing with a chip on their shoulder given the heyday the media has been having at their expense.
Roll Gravity
With the additions of D’Angelo Russell, and Willie Cauley-Stein, a conversation about roll gravity seems timely. People are talking about the Warriors running more pick and roll than in past seasons because these two specialize in this area.
In the niche of time, @The_BBall_Index on Twitter has released an exciting new app which shows 3D graphics of NBA players roll gravity. This app is free for the next few days, but will then be included in their more extensive Data Package offering that has many useful tools for evaluating players. https://cartolytics.shinyapps.io/Gravity/
I have included a few of these beautiful graphs along with the accompanying data for Willie Cauley-Stein, D’Angelo Russell, and Stephen Curry for your inspection. In the app, these graphs are 3D and rotatable so you can get a better picture of the spots a certain player picks. *Notes on accompanying data below
The BIG Questions: What exactly is Roll Gravity and why does it matter?
The Short Answer “Roll Gravity is a player’s ability to pressure the defense through their screening and rolling, forcing defensive help the same way a great shooter might on the perimeter.”
Andrew Patton further defines it as “how a specific player bends the defense with their field goal attempts.” This is going to come into play in a major way with the Warriors new roster additions.
Willie Cauley-Stein Roll Gravity
Willie’s roll gravity going to the rim is fairly elite at 19th in the league. When Willie rolls hard to the rim, he is quick enough to get a couple of steps on the defender. Defenders have no options but to follow him to the rim or face the consequence of letting him have an easy bucket. Warriors are rewarded because now Steph, Klay (when he gets healthy) and D’Angelo are wide open to make a 3 point shot.
D’Angelo Russell Roll Gravity
D’Angelo boasts “Top 10 gravity values for both 3pt range and mid range” shots. This is the best of both worlds for the Warriors. Teams are going to be obliged to guard him pretty much from where ever he chooses to be on the court.
This opens up opportunities for other team mates to get to their spots and reap the rewards. Many teams currently struggle to guard mid range shots because the league has drifted away from them in favor of 3 pointers, dunks and layups. D’Angelo will be mid range to throw up some nice floaters. Score!
Stephen Curry Roll Gravity
Steph is an on the ball threat from the 3 point range who is able to generate his own shots. We all know the magic he can create with the ball in his hands. His roll gravity from outside the arc is undeniable. At least one player is always going to be guarding him whenever he is going toward the basket. Teams have no choice but to leave someone else unguarded. Gift baskets!
As you can see, the Warriors potential to create space on the court is going to be high, if they use the roll gravity available with Willie at the rim, Steph at the 3 and D’Angelo running the midrange/3pt. This doesn’t even account for what Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney will also bring when stepping on to the court.
A key component to create spacing is having a coach who understands and utilizes the strengths of the players he has. When looking at the Warriors lineups for last season, Steve Kerr’s acumen for creating the most space on the court, correctly coupled with the lineup who would most efficiently score together topped the league.
The retooled Warriors may look a little different than they have in the past, but there are plenty of offensive weapons available. The Golden State Warriors have star power, a great coach who has a track record of adjusting to new situations, and experience winning. The West is packed with talent and teams who are motivated to win, but the Warriors are going to be strong.
Klay Thompson is predicting he won’t be active until after the ASB. Guys are going to need to hold the fort down until the other splash brother is fully recovered. Klay’s words of wisdom in the meantime: “To say the dynasty is over is a little ignorant, because I think I’m gonna come back 110 percent, I think I’m gonna come back even better and more athletic.”
For those interested in taking a deeper dive into roll gravity this is a fun and informative podcast by The BBall Index discussing gravity data and lineup spacing calculations.
Pod link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bball-index/id1253824635#episodeGuid=gid
*Quick notes on the data provided: Rank: the player’s rank Percentile: the % of the NBA a player has a higher gravity than Gravity+: this is the player’s gravity / by median gravity, which results in a ratio that helps you see the degree to which a player is above/below ~avg “
