The Warriors small lineup destroys everyone because of Green
So far this season, the Warriors' dynamic super-small lineup -- Curry and
Klay Thompson in the backcourt,
Andre Iguodala and
Harrison Barnes at the forward spots and Green at center -- have outscored teams by 60 points in 48 minutes played together,
per NBA.com's stats page. The lineup has an effective field goal percentage of 76.2 percent and opponents have an effective field goal percentage of 44.6 percent against it. The efficiency differential is more than 60 points per 100 possessions. That's unfair.
The craziest part is that it's no fluke, because this lineup did similar damage last season. That unit outscored opponents by 42 points in 102 minutes in the regular season last year and 38 in 111 minutes in the playoffs. The Warriors
famously trounced the Cavaliers in the
NBA Finals once they made it their starting lineup before Game 4...
Traditional stats can't capture defensive impact, but the Warriors are five points better per 100 possessions on that end with him on the court as opposed to off. He's among the best in the league in defensive rating, defensive win shares and defensive box plus minus. Tune in to any Warriors game and the eye test will confirm what the numbers suggest. There's a reason Green finished second for Defensive Player of the Year last season trailing only
Kawhi Leonard.
Klay Thompson puts big scoring numbers, Harrison Barnes is the young gem and Andre Iguodala has a Finals MVP to show his worth, but they can't come close to approach the overall impact Green has. Only Curry can make that claim.