Earlier this week, it was announced that Golden State Warriors small forward Kevin Durant will be reevaluated in 4 weeks after being diagnosed with an MCL sprain in his left knee and a tibial bone bruise. Durant has been the best player on this 50-11 Warriors team, averaging 25.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game. Durant has been so valuable that he has actually been the Warriors' top rim protector as well as their most efficient scorer. He's been the ultimate small ball player.
Now with their jack-of-all trades small ball weapon out for at least 4 weeks, the Warriors need to find a way to keep in front of the 47-13 San Antonio Spurs for the #1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. It won't be easy, but the good news is that we know that even without Durant, the Warriors might still be the best team in the NBA.
Speaking a little bit more specifically, the absence of Durant means that Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson need to take on more of the scoring load. Durant leads the team in scoring, but Curry and Thompson are right behind him, Curry averaging 24.8 points per game and Thompson averaging 21.8 points per game. The fourth leading scorer on the team is Draymond Green at 10.2 points per game, so there really is a huge drop off in terms of scoring production after Durant, Curry, and Thompson. It will be up to "The Splash Brothers" to make up for Durant's production and be the ones who carry the offense until he returns.
On defense, that's really where Draymond Green will have to step up. Green is averaging 2.1 steals and 1.4 blocks per game to go along with 8.1 rebounds (6.8 defensive). The Warriors will miss Durant's rim protection and so it will really be up to Green to protect the rim and not allow easy baskets inside. Green is one of the most versatile defenders in the NBA and he will certainly need to play like it during this stretch without Durant.
The good news for the Warriors is that Kevin Durant should be back in time for the playoffs and they also have enough weapons to survive for the short term. If he was out for the season, that would be much more concerning, but since he should be back in a reasonable amount of time, I don't see this set back as anything too serious. The Warriors have embraced the whole "Strength In Numbers" team mentality and don't care having to share the spotlight with each other. This mentality should serve them well during this stretch and keep them in possession of the #1 seed in the West.
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