Heading into the 2023-24 NBA season, Warriors coach Steve Kerr is most inspired by one space wherein his crew improved throughout their short-lived playoff run. 

In talking with The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami on the newest episode of “The TK Show” podcast, the Warriors coach was requested what he discovered about his crew this season that can be utilized to generate optimistic momentum heading into subsequent season. 

“Defensively — I guess we played, what, 13 playoff games? We were one of the best defensive teams in the playoffs when you factor in the quality of your opponent and the offensive rating that you keep your opponent to their normal average,” Kerr defined. “I think we were second in the playoffs, I think, when our series with the Lakers ended. I thought our defense was great.”

The Warriors’ protection was very inconsistent all through the 2022-23 common season and performed a giant position within the crew’s struggles on the highway. However, after Golden State acquired Gary Payton II in a midseason trade and Andrew Wiggins ultimately returned to the lineup for the playoffs after a two-month regular-season absence, the Warriors’ protection improved all through the first-round sequence in opposition to the Sacramento Kings and the Western Conference semifinal sequence in opposition to the Los Angeles Lakers. 

“Clearly getting Gary [Payton II] back and [Andrew Wiggins] back changed everything,” Kerr mentioned. “And that’s what it takes, you have to be a two-way team to win a championship, we all know that. We’ve watched it with our team for years. So I just thought, defensively, that was our biggest issue this season and the way we finished winning our last six games, beating Sacramento, taking the Lakers to six. Our defense was there. That’s what I’m most encouraged about going into next season. I think we got a lot of things to clean up offensively, but I’m really encouraged about the defense.”

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Barring a big commerce, the Warriors will head into subsequent season with each Payton and Wiggins on their roster. Perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate Draymond Green, who has a participant possibility for subsequent season, is the one defensive cog who will not be assured to return. 

If all three are on the roster at first of the season, the Warriors determine to be a greater crew defensively out of the gate. 

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