Phoenix Suns Key to Beating Golden State Warriors: Limit Second Chance Points
Few teams possess a more potent offense than Golden State right now. Offensive rating might feel like a loaded stat at times, but the Warriors still carry the NBA’s second highest rated offense, which holds some weight.
However, Golden State also owns the league’s highest true shooting mark at 59.5 percent, which is much more difficult to dismiss. The Warriors actually sit just behind the Suns for the league’s highest field goal percentage, but shoot better from deep.
Phoenix will have their hands full trying to neutralize this high caliber offense to begin with, so giving up easy second chance points cannot become a part of their agenda.
As it stands now, only six other teams surrender more second chance points per game than the Suns. Against any team, allowing extra shots never bodes well, but the Warriors represent an entirely different beast with their aforementioned efficiency, so the Suns desperately need to patch up this flaw.
Doing so mainly falls onto the shoulders of Deandre Ayton, JaVale McGee, and Jae Crowder. Given their superior size over Golden State’s smaller team, they just need to make sure the Warriors do not out-hustle them for long rebounds.
Kevon Looney feels especially dangerous regarding this though, currently averaging a career-high 2.5 offensive boards per game. The same goes for the always aggressive Draymond Green and Gary Payton Jr.