Perhaps Steve Kerr is trying to manifest a reality that doesn’t exist.
Because if the Warriors coach has said it once this season, he’s said it a dozen times: He believes this group can be a top-tier defensive unit. He says it with conviction. He says it like it’s a foregone conclusion, just waiting for the rest of us to catch up.
I’m not buying what he’s selling. And honestly, neither should you.
Sure, if you worship at the altar of the spreadsheet, you might have a case. The raw data backs Kerr up — technically. The Warriors sit seventh in the league in defensive rating, allowing 112 points per 100 possessions. Someday, historians will look back at an era where giving up 112 points is considered “stingy” and weep for the art of basketball, but that’s a conversation for another day.
The problem is, the numbers are lying. Or at the very least, they aren’t telling the whole truth.
Do you see a lockdown defense when you watch this team? I sure don’t.
You know who else doesn’t? The guys who are actually on the floor.
If you want the real scouting report, ask Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green. They haven’t exactly been shy about trashing the effort and quality of play on that end of the floor.
After the loss to the Rockets last month, Green didn’t mince words. His one-word description of the defense was an expletive.
Butler went with “sad.”
“We don’t box out. We don’t go with the scouting report. We let anybody do whatever they want — open shots, get into the paint, free throws,” Butler said.
That sure doesn’t sound like a top-tier unit. That sounds like a layup line. And it feels like a pretty accurate description of what we’re watching night in and night out.
Here is the reality: The Warriors have no teeth at the point of attack. They have the perimeter defense of a Walmart greeter.
Then, behind that, there is no deterrent at the rim.
Oh, and that middle ground? The mid-range? They can’t guard that, either. Just watch the tape of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carving them up in the final minutes of Tuesday’s loss to the Thunder. Yes, SGA is unstoppable, but the Warriors didn’t even make him sweat.
Defenders of this defense — and there are a few left — will point to the stats. They’ll point to a nice night from Gary Payton II or a vintage Draymond moment and say, “See? It’s there.”
But look closer at the resume. Those positive defensive metrics were built on the backs of offenses that couldn’t score against a four cones and a folding chair.
Holding the Clippers to 79 points back on Oct. 28 looked great at the time. Now that we know the Clippers are an offensive train wreck? The shine is gone. And congratulations on padding the defensive stats against the Pelicans and the Pacers, teams with a combined seven wins.
Here is the only stat that actually matters: Against the seven teams currently above them in the Western Conference standings, Golden State is surrendering 117 points per game.
Maybe that passes for “good” in 2025. But it’s miles away from “great.” It’s on par with what the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets do every night.
This isn’t the same defense that closed out last season. Maybe the urgency is gone. Perhaps the veteran legs that fueled that late push have nothing left to give.
And, who knows, maybe De’Anthony Melton, who rejoined the team for Thursday’s game, is the difference for this squad.
No matter what, the burden of proof is no longer on the critics. It’s on the Warriors.
Stop telling us how good the defense can be. It’s time for the Dubs to show us they have the chops to get stops.
How about this: Give us five games. Just a week-plus stretch where the Warriors actually look like a cohesive, lockdown unit against real competition. The defense that Kerr thinks they can be.
That’s not too much to ask, right?
Because until they can manage that small sample size, all this talk about defensive potential is just noise designed to cover up the cracks. And if they can’t fix it in the regular season, good luck escaping the play-in tournament, let alone surviving a playoff series.