What’s missing is how the Warriors can use the preseason to sharpen their defense 

What’s missing is how the Warriors can use the preseason to sharpen their defense

The Golden State Warriors struggled defensively against the Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves blocks Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game Friday, Oct. 13, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves blocks Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game Friday, Oct. 13, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LOS ANGELES — The Warriors built a veteran-laden roster in the offseason at little cost: they have small size and, in some lineups, athleticism.

With all that smart basketball, the future Hall of Famer is expected to fill in the gaps where they can match the youth and speed of the most feared NBA players of the past decade with a quick, intuitive offense. That strategy should pay off in the regular season, but going small can backfire on defense — especially against a team like the Los Angeles Lakers.

All of the defensive mistakes that plagued the Warriors last year surfaced in their two preseason games against the Lakers. The presence of the 7-foot Anthony Davis in the paint has historically fueled the Warriors’ offense, but they’ve had just as much trouble with Davis, LeBron James, Austin Reaves and a mosaic of players hitting threes after shots.

If the Warriors are going to compete for a championship by outmaneuvering others at the door, they will also need to play smarter defensively to make up for their athletic disadvantage. They didn’t start well, especially Saturday’s defense against the Lakers’ starters. In total, Golden State committed 27 personal fouls and was sluggish on defense.

“There’s not much to like right now. We’re nowhere near a No. 10 defense, coach Steve Kerr said Friday. – At halftime, all the key areas we talked about in camp, we didn’t hit anything. They made 21 free throws, we made 11. We had one offensive board. We have not yet reached all the areas we aimed to improve. In the fourth quarter we succeeded, our youngsters did a good job. But we have a lot to improve. There was too much mobility and turnovers, some unforced, we need to clean up those areas.

Much of that could be attributed to Draymond Green’s injury absence. Green is the Warriors’ primary defensive anchor and orchestrator, eliminating a multitude of defensive mistakes as the team’s free safety, helping to protect or fix broken defensive plays.

The defensive issues could also be due to the date: the Warriors’ starters are learning to fit Chris Paul into the starting five. It might not be permanent, maybe, but either way, Paul and his new teammates are still learning how to play together.

In particular, Paul and Curry meet between plays to discuss what went wrong or right on each play. Paul was in everyone’s ears, a visibly active communicator. Curry said the team’s biggest goal this year is to get on the same page, making sure all parts of the roster are connected when they’re on the floor to limit mistakes as much as possible. Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga and Gary Payton II give the Warriors an athletic defense they can run with, but for a team it’s all about IQ, intuition and chemistry could be their biggest source of success. Golden State has only played against the Lakers so far. They have a new challenge Sunday evening against the Sacramento Kings, a team not built big and tall like the Lakers, but young and fast with De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk. The preseason games are meaningless, but still a chance for the Warriors to succeed.