The Golden State Warriors fell to defeat against the LA Clippers on Saturday (Dec. 2) despite holding a significant lead at the half. The Warriors have made a habit of losing games from winning positions over the past few weeks, much to the chagrin of their fans around the world.
When speaking to the media following the Clippers’ win, Paul George noted how the Clippers had identified the Warriors’ biggest weakness. The All-Star wing noted how Golden State’s lack of size, specifically, lack of a rim protector, allowed the Clippers to manipulate Golden State’s defense to generate open looks.
“They don’t have a rim protector,” George said. “Our advantage is we have size. We have wings that can get to the basket. That’s been our game plan, to get to the rim and find shooters on kick-outs.”
Golden State’s lack of an interior presence was widely discussed during the offseason. The front office even flirted with adding future Hall of Famer Dwight Howard in free agency, but they ultimately chose to go down a different route.
After Warriors blow 22p lead in loss to Clippers, here's some Paul George:
"They don’t have a rim protector. Our advantage is we have size. We have wings that can get to the basket. That’s been our game plan, to get to the rim and find shooters on kick-outs."— Monte Poole (@MontePooleNBCS) December 3, 2023
Despite their lack of a rim protector, the Warriors are a top-10 team in terms of protecting the rim. According to Cleaning The Glass, Golden State is ninth in the league for defensive rim efficiency, holding teams to 64.1% shooting within four feet of the basket. They are also seventh in defensive three-point percentage, limiting teams to 35.3% shooting from the perimeter.
While a lack of size in the middle of the court is a clear roster flaw and may have contributed to the Clippers’ success, it hasn’t been a debilitating factor throughout the season thus far.
