With Lack of Roster Height, Warriors Rank 2nd in Rebounds Per Game

It seems like every time we look at a one-off comment on Twitter about how good the Warriors have been this season, there’s a stat to justify it. What people misunderstand about analytics is that they’re often meant to be married to the eye test, not disputing it: Good analysis is the numbers and the highlights (or lowlights) working in harmony to determine a truth about the game.

So here’s a wild truth for you: This season, the Golden State Warriors are tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for 2nd in the league in rebounds gathered per game, at 47.4. The only team ahead of them is the Memphis Grizzlies, at 47.7, and they have three guys who are 6’11. In contrast, Golden State has one player above 6’9 - James Wiseman - and he hasn’t played all season. The Bucks, who tie the Warriors for second in RPG, have four players taller than 6’9.

Is there an explanation for this anomaly? You could point to their length, as they have a solid wing rotation where each player has plenty of wingspan to their height. You could point to their floor spacing, where their smaller lineups will often force the other team’s tallest player (or best rebounder) outside of the paint where they can crash the glass.

The likeliest answer, however, is hustle. The Warriors have notoriously been able to get a ton of buy-in and play-like-the-playoffs mentalities out of guys they brought in on minimum contracts, as well as their younger players and veterans alike. “Strength in Numbers” as the team’s motto remains a fitting one, because when you watch the games, you can see every single player in a Dubs uniform hustling for the ball.

With Wiseman, a 7-footer, set to return this season, it’s possible that we could see the Warriors jump up to gathering even more rebounds per game than they do now. While he didn’t always look comfortable on the floor last year while getting bounced around by bigger centers, an extra 10 pounds of muscle and encouragement from the coaching staff - plus a year of experience under his belt - should help him acclimate well.

Historically, rebounding has been one of the team’s biggest weaknesses. But win or lose, you can usually look to the box score and see that they’ve got a massive rebounding advantage over their opponents. Last night against the Suns (who got some good run out of young star center Deandre Ayton), they outrebounded Phoenix by over 10 boards.

Locking down three of the four major factors (rebounding, shooting, and free throws) in basketball analytics, the Warriors are one category away from reaching their potential: Limiting turnovers. But hey, 3 out of 4 is still pretty good, and especially given their relative height to the teams they face, it’s good to see that the hustle pays off.

(Photo credit: National Basketball Association)