The Warriors will probably be with out Gary Payton II indefinitely, nearly definitely by way of the rest of the second-round collection towards the Memphis Grizzlies.
Not solely will Payton — a singular defensive expertise who couldn’t discover an NBA dwelling earlier than touchdown with Golden State — miss most of his first playoff run, however the Warriors will probably be with out their greatest defender towards Ja Morant.
And Morant has been a killer, scoring 34 factors within the Warriors’ Recreation 1 win and 47 of their Recreation 2 loss. Information that Payton fractured his left elbow on a reckless foul by Dillon Brooks will power Golden State to scramble for different methods to restrict Morant’s explosive recreation.
Not many in the whole NBA have Payton’s fast arms and toes defensively, however the Warriors have just a few defensive choices heading into Video games 3 and 4 at Chase Middle. Right here’s the place they could flip:
Andrew Wiggins defends Morant
Wiggins was one of many Warriors’ higher defenders within the common season, however he’s enjoying with an edge within the playoffs that his teammates clamored for all yr.
Although he struggled to maintain Morant in entrance of him as his major defender after Payton’s departure in Recreation 2, Wiggins has the athleticism and size to get in entrance of Morant, who speeds downhill to the cup and scores on difficult finishes with eye-opening effectivity.
Wiggins has proven he can step as much as the duty at hand — his physicality on this collection has been each a shock and obligatory for Golden State to match Memphis’ aggressive type of play. He’s pushing for rebounds on each ends, diving for free balls and discovering spots to get to the rim.
Within the touted (and now examined) three-guard lineup that includes Jordan Poole, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, Wiggins has been enjoying his greatest ball at energy ahead throughout these playoffs, a brand new function. If Wiggins is tasked with guarding Morant, he must transfer again to a wing place. That may possible power coach Steve Kerr to take out both Thompson or Poole when Wiggins is in to protect Morant.
Lure or blitz Morant
The Warriors may also think about this: Morant is all of the Grizzlies have working proper now. And he may be fairly the silver bullet. However Desmond Bane’s again harm is clearly bothering him: The ace shooter has gone 2-of-9 from 3 in two video games thus far. Tyus Jones and De’Anthony Melton haven’t been far more productive, both. Jaren Jackson Jr. went off for six 3-pointers in Recreation 1 — ought to the Warriors count on that usually from the seven-footer?
So why not lure Morant?
Golden State tried this a minimum of as soon as in Recreation 2 and was profitable in getting the ball out of Morant’s arms. Wiggins and Poole had been despatched to lure Morant at halfcourt, and Morant almost turned the ball over earlier than discovering Xavier Tillman for a cross, who discovered Zaire Williams past the arc.
Williams hit the 3-pointer — he was 4-for-6 on the night time — however the rookie was 3-for-12 from 3 within the playoffs main as much as Recreation 2. Within the combination, Golden State could also be proud of Williams taking that shot. They might be proud of anybody else however Morant having the ball.
Create a defensive “shell”
The Warriors are at their greatest defensively once they can create a powerful shell close to the perimeter with Inexperienced enjoying free security as a secondary line of protection. They've misplaced that shell throughout this Memphis collection, maybe as a result of the Grizzlies generate a variety of their offense in transition earlier than the Warriors can set their protection.
Whether or not they use a zone or switching man-to-man protection, the Warriors should prioritize stopping dribble penetration — particularly by Morant.
Getting again in transition and speaking cleanly on protection would go a great distance towards limiting him off the dribble and forcing Memphis to depend on zipping the ball across the perimeter to shooters.
Let Morant go off
The Grizzlies wanted each little bit of Morant’s 47-point efficiency on Tuesday night time. Possibly a younger star like Morant can carry a workforce to a collection win, however the Warriors could discover they’re higher off letting Morant tire himself out whereas they rediscover their scoring groove.
Morant acquired no matter he wished with ease, however every recreation might have gone otherwise if Curry, Thompson and Poole shot higher from 3-point land. Golden State is taking pictures a dismal 27.6% from 3 on this collection. On this collection, perhaps the most effective protection is a greater offense.