The Golden State Warriors are very excited about the addition of Kevin Durant to their championship caliber squad. KD will immediately step in and be the starting SF replacing Harrison Barnes. KD is a lethal 7’0” scoring machine, capable of playing the 3 through 5 in many instances. In a conversation with Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area, Warriors defensive coach Ron Adams talked about what the team expects from Durant on the defensive end of the floor. In regards to KD’s defense, Adams said:
His versatility is outstanding. He’s a terrific defender, who played with great defensive consistency in our playoff series. We will expect a lot out of him in that regard.
Ron has known KD since 2008 when he was an assistant with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The versatility Adams is referring to is KD’s 7’0” frame and 7’5″ wingspan. For a man that size he has above average quickness and the length makes him a nightmare on defense. He can switch 1 through 5 which is critical in the Warriors defensive strategy. Head coach Steve Kerr chimed in with the following:
He’s a really good rim protector, in a non-traditional way. When he played the ‘four’ against us in the playoffs, he was brilliant. He blocked some shots and he scored a bunch of times. So he’ll play a lot of ‘four’ for us, for sure.
Kerr is correct, KD terrorized the Warriors on the defensive end of the floor. There is no doubt Durant playing the four, will make the Warriors dangerous. However, “a lot” of four might be a bit much. Kerr is a smart man and so is Adams, I’m sure they’ll figure it out. But too much time at the four especially defensively over an 82 game season plus the playoffs is a lot of wear and tear on Durant’s body.