Warriors beat writer Danny Emerman shares his thoughts on the NBA playoffs and beyond.
As was the case with Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, there’s no Nikola Jokic stopper.
The three-time MVP looks and plays nothing like MJ or Kobe, but that’s the truth.
Rudy Gobert looked like a car dealership inflatable tube trying to guard Jokic 1-on-1. Draymond Green said he could do better, but his track record says otherwise.
Last time Green and Jokic matched up in the playoffs, Jokic solved the Warriors after two games — he averaged 34.7 points, 15 rebounds and 6.3 assists on 65.6 percent shooting in the last three games of the series. Last time they met in the regular season, Jokic dropped 32/16/16.
Just like Gobert and the Wolves, the Warriors often have more success with Kevon Looney checking Jokic and Green roaming behind as a help defender.
But again, nobody stops Jokic. The most successful defenders against him in isolation are Ivica Zubac and Jusuf Nurkic — two of the only players who can match his physicality.
Gobert and Green will always be linked, not only because of their long-standing beef, but because they’re the two most dominant defenders of the current generation.
Gobert earned his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award by anchoring the league’s best defense.
Green (one DPOY) doesn’t have the hardware and he’s wrong about being able to play Jokic tougher, but he — not Gobert — is the most important defensive player of the past decade.
As Steph Curry changed offense in the modern NBA, Green changed the way teams play defense. Just about every team searches for versatile players who can switch 1-through-5 because Green and the Warriors laid out that blueprint.
Gobert’s superpower is his ability to be in the right spot, at all times, as a free-ranging, rim-protecting help defender. Before the Timberwolves, he elevated the Jazz defense from disastrous to the top 10 annually. He jams up pick-and-rolls in drop coverage with his length and smarts.
Gobert’s quick enough to avoid getting punished too often in switches, but has still gotten played off the court in playoff series. And for someone with four Defensive Player of the Year trophies, he doesn’t hold up 1-on-1 in the post as much as you’d like.
In a seven-game series, the choice is clear. It wasn’t too long ago that Green dismantled Boston in the Finals.
Ideally, the annual regular season award would tell a more complete story, but that’s not always how it works out. When it comes to defense in the modern NBA, Green is the defining player.
Maybe the best defender of the next generation will be the one to solve Jokic.
Second-tier shopping for Warriors
Unless Kevin Durant decides to demand a trade specifically to the Bay, the Warriors aren’t going to be swimming in the A-list bucket of trades. In any sweepstakes, their best offer can be beaten by several teams with more assets.
The tier below Durant, LeBron James, Paul George, Jimmy Butler, and other potentially disgruntled stars on the move this summer is probably the Warriors’ sweet spot.
The always-excellent Light Years podcast floated Zach LaVine and Brandon Ingram as potential names that Golden State should pursue, calling them Andrew Wiggins-esque moves (probably underselling Ingram and LaVine’s resumes).
But the premise is sound. The most realistic way for the Warriors to improve is to find a player who is underutilized or in the wrong role and hope their ecosystem could unlock much more — a la Wiggins.
Ingram and LaVine fit the bill, with the former being a more exciting option than the latter due to LaVine’s injury history, age and contract.
With varying degrees of stretching the imagination, here are a few more: Mikal Bridges, Michael Porter Jr., Jalen Green, and Evan Mobley. And below them: Keldon Johnson, Terance Mann, Naji Marshall, Josh Green, Haywood Highsmith and Aaron Wiggins.
Game 7 bold predictions
The best two words in sports, and we get a pair of them today in Knicks-Pacers and Nuggets-Timberwolves.
-Pacers struggle to pump up the pace
-Jalen Brunson drops 40
-Indiana dominates on the glass
-Pascal Siakam picks up Tyrese Haliburton’s scoring slack
-The saddest collection of A-list celebrities walk out of Madison Square Garden
-Pacers 109, Knicks 99
-Karl-Anthony Towns can’t help himself with fouls, putting Gobert back on an island against Jokic
-Anthony Edwards plays all 48 minutes, takes at least 30 shots
-Regardless of result, pundits declare: “Now THAT was the real NBA Championship.”
-Christian Braun closes for Michael Porter Jr.
-Both teams struggle from 3
-Nuggets 103, Timberwolves 97
