Ever since Kevin Durant was sidelined with a sprained MCL, NBA experts have tried to forecast what the the rest of the season will look like for the Golden State Warriors. The debate has been over whether or not Golden State can adjust quickly enough to maintain their #1 seed in the West. The commentary on TV and radio offers opinion, but STATCAT is here to provide the numbers.
Below you will find the statistics that compare the Warriors when playing WITH Durant versus WITHOUT.
There is only a small sample size of 4 games. The game against Washington when he injured his knee is included in this set. Why? Because the injury occurred early on in the game, as Durant only played 2 minutes. All 4 games in the sample have come against Eastern Conference teams. The Warriors have not played a game yet against a Western Conference foe without Durant on the hardwood.
Pictured below are the results from each of those game.
The more detailed breakdown from each game is provided below. Over the specific games that we are analyzing the Warriors’ field goal percentage has not reached the 50% mark which reflects the team’s percentage before the Durant injury.
There is no doubt that the Warriors would be better off with Durant on the floor, as KD’s total plus-minus on the season is +653 (2nd in NBA).
Whether this short-lived shooting slump is merely a blip or a direct consequence of Durant’s injury is something that will only be determined as to how quickly they can adjust and how far they can advance in the playoffs.
Basketball Analytic 