Tracking some key Warriors stats after five games

After five games the Golden State Warriors are 4-1, which is the most important statistic. But there are some other fun stats which support how they’re getting these W’s. Let’s dive into some of ‘em!

1st in Assists

1. Golden State Warriors 27.7
2. Indiana Pacers 27.4
3. Phoenix Suns 26.9

Sharing is caring! And in basketball it’s also a way to build synergy, chemistry, and wipe out an opposing defense by giving them too many things to think about. Now I know some fans may be annoyed that the Warriors coughed up 22 turnovers in a come-from-ahead loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at home; there are just some nights when turnovers are a byproduct of all that sharing.

Duby Dub Dubs of Dub Nation HQ wrote a deep-dive into the tricky balance between keeping the ball moving and coughing up bad passes:

You see, the turnovers are an inherent part of the way the Warriors run their offense. Ever since Kerr took over and turned Mark Jackson’s caterpillar of stagnant isolation basketball into the butterfly of whizzing passes and high octane off-ball movement, turnovers have plagued the Warriors.

Overall, Golden State has ONE of the league’s league’s best assist to turnover ratio, generating 1.71 assists per turnover.

I’d recommend checking that whole article out as Duby does a great job of investigating that conundrum.

7th in 3PT FG%

1. Chicago Bulls 40.4%
2. Charlotte Hornets 40.2%
3. Philadelphia 76ers 40.0%
4. Los Angeles Lakers 38.9%
5. New York Knicks 38.0%
6. Portland Trail Blazers 37.7%
7. Golden State Warriors 37.4%

These Dubs can shoot! Of course any team that has Stephen Curry, the greatest shooter ever, is supposed to be pretty decent and knocking down the longball. But this season the Warriors added another sniper in Otto Porter Jr. (41.7% from downtown) while retaining Damion Lee who is shooting a scorching 46.2% from deep. I can’t wait to see how hot this team can get after the return of Klay Thompson, arguably the second greatest shooter ever.

7th in Defensive Rating

1. Miami Heat 93.6
2. Utah Jazz 96.0
3. Denver Nuggets 98.0
4. Minnesota Timberwolves 99.0
5. Chicago Bulls 100.0
6. Portland Trail Blazers 102.1
7. Golden State Warriors 102.3

A holdover from the Mark Jackson era of Warriors basketball is the commitment to defending on a nightly basis. Golden State held a top-5 defense last year under Coach Steve Kerr despite a nonstop wave of injuries and roster changes. This year they’re in the top-10 after five games, an encouraging sign and the secret behind winning four of their first five.

6th in Steals per game

1. Memphis Grizzlies 9.1
2. Philadelphia 76ers 9.1
3. Minnesota Timberwolves 8.8
4. Toronto Raptors 8.6
5. Indiana Pacers 8.5
6. Golden State Warriors 8.2

Hmmm I wonder if the Warriors throwing the ball to Memphis repeatedly ballooned their steal numbers. Anyways, it’s good to see the Dubs are in maximum theft mode on the court. They really do an excellent job of rotating to jump passing lanes and trap the ball at opportune times. And they also can just pilfer it at the point of attack like this...