The new-look Golden State Warriors will have no trouble putting the ball in the hoop, but head coach Steve Kerr admits that he’s concerned about their defense and rim protection.
Kerr knows that the loss of Andrew Bogut this summer looms large.
Steve Kerr cites one specific concern with #Warriors' roster (@MontePooleCSN) https://t.co/oQ4B6GWv1G #NBA pic.twitter.com/U1t6Rz9kXl
— CSNAuthentic (@CSNAuthentic) September 7, 2016
The Dubs also let backup center Festus Ezeli walk; Zaza Pachulia was signed to help fill a considerable void in the middle.
Per CSN Bay Area:
“The thing that’s different will be a lack of rim protection,” Kerr said. “We had great rim protection from Bogut and Ezeli, and both those guys are gone. Zaza’s a very good defender, but he’s more of a positional guy than a shot blocker.
“So there’s definitely adjustments we’ll have to make, even schematically. We’ll have some growing pains, especially on defense, as we try to make sure we get everything right and comfortable.”
“The three main guys off the bench are (Andre) Iguodala, (Shaun) Livingston and (newly acquired forward) David West; that’s pretty good,” Kerr said. “There’s no doubt we’ll miss (Leandro Barbosa’s) speed. We’ll miss (Marreese Speights’) shooting. We’ll miss Festus’ rim protection. No doubt we’ll miss all of that. […] But we’ve replaced those guys with some pretty good players.”
