Golden State Warriors - Early Season Returns

As I look at the NBA standings right now I've got to say that Golden State is one of the biggest surprises to me.  After all, I picked the Warriors to finish the season 26-56.  At 7-4 they are more than a quarter of the way toward that victory total just 11 games into the season.  My reasoning for that prediction was that I thought that the addition of David Lee would only add to their freewheeling, no defense culture.  But surprisingly, at least in regards to defense, that has not been the case.  Let's take a look at the numbers.

Photo source: Christian

Team Stats
Offensive Rating (points per 100 possessions): 104.9 (18th in the NBA) [108.1 in 2009]
Defensive Rating (points allowed per 100 possessions): 106.3 (9th) [111.7 in 2009]
Rating Differential: -1.4 [-3.6 in 2009]
Points Scored per Game: 101.4 (13th) [108.8 in 2009]
Points Allowed per Game: 102.7 (17th) [112.4 in 2009]
Pace (possessions per game): 96.6 (5th) [100.4 in 2009]

Player Stats
(in order of minutes played)

Monta Ellis
Offensive Rating: 114 (99 in 2009)
Defensive Rating: 106 (112)
PER: 22.5 (16.7)

Dorell Wright
Offensive Rating: 109 (114)
Defensive Rating: 108 (104)
PER: 13.3 (14.5)

Stephen Curry
Offensive Rating: 108 (107)
Defensive Rating: 105 (111)
PER: 19.7 (16.3)

Andris Biedrins
Offensive Rating: 105 (113)
Defensive Rating: 103 (107)
PER: 12.7 (13.0)

David Lee
Offensive Rating: 104 (116)
Defensive Rating: 105 (108)
PER: 16.4 (22.2)

Reggie Williams
Offensive Rating: 102 (116)
Defensive Rating: 111 (114)
PER: 10.1 (16.0)

Rodney Carney
Offensive Rating: 104 (109)
Defensive Rating: 109 (111)
PER: 11.2 (12.7)

Vladimir Radmanovic
Offensive Rating: 96 (92)
Defensive Rating: 107 (111)
PER: 8.0 (7.9)

Brandan Wright
Offensive Rating: 106 (118)
Defensive Rating: 108 (112)
PER: 13.8 (18.7)

Dan Gadzuric
Offensive Rating: 100 (96)
Defensive Rating: 107 (100)
PER: 12.9 (10.5)

The Warriors have improved dramatically on defense in the first 11 games of 2010.  They've improved their Defensive Efficiency rating from 29th in the NBA last season to 9th in the NBA this season.  In raw numbers they are allowing 5.4 fewer points per 100 possessions than they did last year.  However, their Offensive Efficiency has also dropped, by 3.2 points.  Most importantly though, their differential has improved from -3.6 in 2009/10 to -1.4 this season.

The key reason for Golden State's excellent performance is the improved play of Ellis.  He's made a significant jump in PER from 16.7 to 22.5.  He's improved his Offensive Rating dramatically from 99 to 114 and his Defensive Rating impressively from 112 to 106.  His field-goal percentage is up nicely and he's gunning it less, taking two and a half fewer shots per game than he did last season.

Curry's play has moved in the right direction as well.  He's improved his efficiency differential from -4 to +3.  His PER has also jumped 3.4 points.  That's particularly impressive considering that he's been battling ankle injuries.

Expected to be a big contributor, Lee's productivity has dropped since he joined the Warriors.  His PER is down almost six points, his field-goal percentage is down 80 points, his free-throw percentage is down 85 points and he's averaging half a turnover more per game.  Adapting to new teammates and a new playing style could be blamed for Lee's decreased effectiveness.  Golden State needs him to return from his infected elbow quickly if they are going to continue to perform at a high level.

The other big offseason addition, Dorell Wright, seems to be struggling to be as productive as he's been in the past now that he's playing nearly twice as many minutes.

Beyond that, the rest of the players in Golden State's rotation have put up decreased PERs this season (with the exception of Gadzuric) but on the good side, they've all also improved their Defensive Efficiency (again with the exception of Gadzuric).  To me, that speaks to the fact that their improvement on defense is the major factor in their stellar record to begin the season.

What would you say the keys are to the Warriors quick start?  Let me know your thoughts by posting a comment below.