Warriors Will Miss Durant’s Lethal Iso Game, But History Shows Steph Curry Can Dominate In Same Way

Kevin Durant decided to put an end to his tenure with the Golden State Warriors. Many pundits keep asking questions about Durant’s actually role with the team. Some say he was a luxury the Golden State didn’t need. Others believe that Durant will be missed this season. What about his iso game? Will Steph Curry step in as a dominant force?

Let’s make one thing clear. Durant’s role with the Warriors wasn’t limited to the offensive end. The team will definitely miss his defensive length, versatility and rim protection. Other Warriors can’t replace him at the moment, and the departure of Andre Iguodala makes everything worse. The Warriors’ defense is quite a challenge at the moment.

The Warriors can definitely do something to replace Durant’s contribution for the offense. Everything will get better once Klay Thompson returns to the floor. The Warriors can easily make the playoffs without Durant on the roster.

Steph Curry is an excellent player, and his great offense will have to be enough for the Warriors to win games.

“The motion offense we run in Golden State, it only works to a certain point,” Durant recently told the Wall Street Journal. “We can totally rely on only our system for maybe the first two rounds. Then the next two rounds we’re going to have to mix in individual play. We’ve got to throw teams off, because they’re smarter in that round of the playoffs. So now I had to dive into my bag, deep, to create stuff on my own, off the dribble, isos, pick-and-rolls, more so than let the offense create my points for me.”  

Curry was more efficient as an isolation scorer in three of the past four seasons. Durant isolated three times more often than his teammate. They have been following this pattern for years.

In 2017-18, Durant scored on 47 percent of his isolations, and Curry scored on 40 percent of his.

It will be interesting to see Durant handle the pressure with the Nets. Curry will have to lead the Warriors on his own as Thompson won’t return until February. The Warriors may be in danger.