Kurtenbach: De’Aaron Fox is carving up the Warriors’ defense, and there
might not be a way to stop him
Golden State Warriors: Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox has attacked the
Warriors' drop defense, putting Golden State in a 2-0 series hole.
>Golden State Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins defends Sacramento Kings’
De’Aaron Fox in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the Western Conference
First Round playoffs, Saturday, April 15, 2023, at Golden One Arena in
Sacramento, Calif. Wiggins was called for a foul on the play. (Karl
Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
By DIETER KURTENBACH | dkurtenbach@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News
Group
PUBLISHED: April 19, 2023 at 5:00 a.m. | UPDATED: April 19, 2023 at 6:50
a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/04/19/kurtenbach-deaaron-fox-is-carving-up-the-warriors-defense-and-theres-no-obvious-solution/

The Warriors came into this series knowing that it would be difficult to
handle the speed of Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox.

They weren’t wrong.

Fox cooked the Warriors in Games 1 and 2, scoring 62 points and dishing
out 14 assists as the Kings have a 2-0 lead.

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If the Warriors are to somehow make this a series, they’ll have to find
a way in Game 3 to at least slow down Fox — the dynamo of Sacramento’s
historic offense.

But with the way Fox is playing, there might be nothing the Warriors can
do to slow him down.

He is, after all, the fastest player with the ball in his hands in the
NBA, and with his confidence, he’s proven to be an exceptionally
dangerous player in this, his breakthrough season.

The Warriors’ plan, so far, for stopping Fox has been to put Gary Payton
II and Andrew Wiggins on him.

And that’s a good plan! Fox is shooting 4-of-18 when those two are his
primary defender, scoring 10 total points in two games.

The Warriors’ issue is that when you’re defending a pick-and-roll point
guard, it’s not a one-man job.

And we’re finding out that Kevon Looney cannot guard Fox.

[gif]

The Warriors center has played drop coverage in the Domantas Sabonis-Fox
pick-and-roll/dribble-handoff game. That means Looney stays in the lane
while Sabonis goes to the perimeter. The goal is to give Sabonis space,
as the Warriors are fine with him shooting the ball. It also gives
Looney a bit of cushion against a much-faster player.

The issue with that kind of coverage is that cushion gives Fox any
mid-range shot he wants when he comes around the perimeter screen.

And the Kings’ point guard has become lethal in that area this season,
shooing better than 50 percent from the mid-range for the first time in
his career.

Through two games, Fox has shot 8-of-13 from the floor when defended by
Looney, per SecondSpectrum data. He’s also added six assists. In total,
that’s 16 points for Fox and 31 points for the Kings.

Fox does not present the same challenges as James Harden or Luka Dončić
— two bigger pick-and-roll guards who are not a threat to blow past
Looney on the perimeter. The Warriors center could defend those two
stars because he could stick with them on the perimeter and recover by
the hoop — both eschewed the mid-range game.

Fox is proving to be a more efficient version of Ja Morant.

[gif]

Don’t forget, the Grizzlies’ point guard averaged 38 in the three games
he played against the Warriors last season. He, too, figured out that
there were points to be had in the mid-range and hit the Warriors with a
healthy serving of running floaters. His issue is that he’s not a good
shooter.

Fox is a good shooter. This season he had the same effective field goal
percentage as Jayson Tatum, Jalen Brunson, Jrue Holiday, and Dončić.

Through two games, Fox is 7-for-12 this series on shots between 8 and 16
feet. Add in his in-rhythm 3-point shooting (3-of-9, but he’s making
them in the clutch), his transition excellence, and some nice finishes
by the hoop, and you have a big problem for the Dubs.

The solution?

The Warriors’ perimeter defenders can keep going under screens — giving
Fox open 3-pointers. He might stop making them. But that’s not much of a
strategy.

Perhaps Looney can step up more in drop coverage, but that’s asking for
the Kings’ point guard to blow by him to an unprotected rim.

The Warriors might have to stop playing Looney, but that would leave
Jonathan Kuminga as the only viable pick-and-roll defender against Fox
in Game 3.

Things might be different if Draymond Green wasn’t suspended, but he is.
So the Warriors will have to ride with the wild card, Kuminga, or the
low, suited card in Looney.

That’s where the Warriors are after two games. It’s hardly ideal.

But if the Warriors want their season — and dynasty — to see May,
they’ll have to find a way to slow down the fastest man in the game.

Questions, comments, or criticisms that demand answers?

Email Dieter, and you could be featured in his next mailbag.

--
Dieter Kurtenbach | Sports Columnist
Sports columnist Dieter Kurtenbach analyzes the amazing and roasts the
absurd in the world of sports for the Bay Area News Group. He was
previously a national sports columnist for Fox Sports and a staff writer
at the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can also be heard on KNBR
(104.5-FM, 680-AM). He graduated from the University of Missouri in
Columbia, Mo., with a BA degree in journalism.