As the preseason winds down, the Warriors’ defensive problems are looking less like one issue and more like a pair of linked headaches. Perimeter defense and rim protection keep showing up together, and Steve Kerr made it clear after Thursday’s practice that he sees them that way.
"They're tied together, they're definitely tied together," he said.
That’s the challenge for this group. During the franchise’s peak years, Golden State could lean on elite rim protection from players such as Andrew Bogut in 2015, a younger Draymond Green, or even Kevin Durant and JaVale McGee. This version of the Warriors doesn’t have that kind of luxury, so Kerr and his staff are asking for something else: five-man connectedness.
"I think we have the potential to be a very good defensive team despite the quantity of on-ball defenders, I think we can be a very good defensive team as long as we're connected," Kerr said.
The good news is that the roster does include some capable rim protectors. The catch is that their availability is the problem.
Kristaps Porzingis remains uncertain as he works toward a return to the hardwood, even though he’s been an elite interior presence since entering the league in 2015. Last season, opponents shot 49.4% on 164 attempts within six feet when Porzingis was the primary defender.
Al Horford is still a solid anchor despite his age, Draymond Green remains a force, and Charles Bassey has blocked nine shots across five preseason games.
But Kerr keeps circling back to the same idea: rim protection is not a one-man assignment. It starts on the perimeter, where the Warriors’ defense has to do a better job steering attackers into traffic and away from clean paths to the basket.
In a league full of crafty guards, that kind of help matters. A player like Austin Reaves in Vegas on Tuesday should not be able to walk into easy layups if the rotations are sharp and the backline is in sync.
That’s where Frank Vogel comes in. After Jerry Stackhouse’s departure, Golden State turned to Vogel and his rugged defensive approach. Vogel, 53, is in his 21st NBA coaching season and his 12th as a head coach, and he previously guided a defense-first Lakers team to the 2019-2020 championship.
His idea is simple enough. The defense has to be physical.
It has to be willing to meet drivers at the rim. It has to jump vertically instead of giving ground.
De'Anthony Melton said in camp that Vogel wants the group "to have teeth."
Brandin Podziemski has been one of the clearest examples of that mindset, even if he stands just 6-foot-4. Vogel has called him a rim protector because of his ability to take charges, and Kerr backed that up strongly.
"BP is a rim protector," Kerr said. "He doesn't look like it but he's in the top three in charges taken every year. Every charge that he takes, that's rim protection."
Golden State’s recent numbers at the rim have not been flattering. Over the last four seasons, the team has routinely landed in the bottom tier in opponent field-goal percentage at the basket. Kerr, Vogel and the rest of the staff know the personnel has played a role in that, with Kevon Looney, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Quinten Post, JaMychal Green and Draymond Green serving as the main interior options during that stretch.
Still, the coaches are treating mindset as the key piece.
Melton pointed to Yaxel Lendeborg’s preseason outing against the Lakers in Vegas as a good example of what happens when that edge fades. After Lendeborg picked up two early fouls, his defense became more cautious, with the rookie choosing a more passive style rather than staying aggressive and risking another whistle. It’s a familiar lesson for young players trying to balance foul trouble with force at the rim.
"I think that's what comes with being a rookie, figuring out that fine line of that," Melton said.
Kerr said he liked the Warriors’ defensive work much more in the second half against the Lakers, when Los Angeles was held to 26 points on 10-for-34 shooting. The starters sat out the fourth quarter, but most of them played a majority of the third.
The next time the Warriors see that Lakers group, it will matter for real, and the starters will be out there for all four quarters. Luka Doncic, who did not play in either preseason meeting between the teams, will also be available.
"Our mentality, that's what we have to build."
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