SAN FRANCISCO -- Warriors guard D'Angelo Russell found himself in familiar territory four minutes into Golden State's 127-110 loss to the Spurs on Friday.
Atop the key, Russell waited for trailing big man Willie Cauley-Stein to set a brush screen, attacked the paint and found the 7-foot center on an alley-oop finish. A quarter later, he initiated another screen from Cauley-Stein, took two steps towards the paint and fired a pass to forward Draymond Green, who knocked down a 3-pointer.
For years, Golden State -- even with the presence of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry -- has vehemently avoided similar pick-and-roll action, opting for a motion offense that prioritizes player movement and spacing over stagnation. Now, with Durant gone, Curry and Klay Thompson injured until at least midseason, coupled with a young roster, Golden State is using the strategy it once vilified to help get its new core up to speed.
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In the first half, the strategy worked, as Russell scored 19 of his team-high 30 points in the first 24 minutes, helping keep Golden State within two points of the Spurs at halftime. Rookie guard Jordan Poole scored eight of his career-high 18 points in the second quarter, while Damion Lee scored 16 points, including two 3-pointers. Through 24 minutes, Golden State converted on 52 percent of its 3-pointers.
"It makes it a lot easier," Warriors rookie Eric Paschall told NBC Sports Bay Area. "We don't have to think as much, we can just play the game. So I think that helps a lot in terms of just knowing where to be on the court, especially rookies learning the plays."
Golden State's early-season strategy is appropriate. With eight new summer additions, including six under the age of 26, coach Steve Kerr has opted to bring his young battered roster up to speed slowly with simplified steps.
The decision is a change from Golden State's past. Last season, the Warriors ranked last in the league in pick-and-roll actions, using the play just 10 percent of the time, despite scoring a league-high 0.99 points per possession. This season, their pick-and-roll output has ticked up to 14.8 percent. However, they're scoring has plummeted 0.78 points per possession.
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The recent trend continued in the second half, as Russell made just two shots, while the Warriors were outscored 70-55 over the final 48 minutes. In the third quarter, Golden State was outscored 40-31 by San Antonio.
"The point of all the execution and the offense is to try to get the best possible shot," Kerr said Friday evening. "I didn't think we always got that tonight."
Nonetheless, Golden State's young core and veterans alike have welcomed the change as the Warriors pushes towards a long-term goal of mastering its traditional offensive philosophy.
"I just think it helps me have a feel for the game," Paschall said. "When things are set in stone, that's when you make mistakes. I think when everything is free-flowing. We have guards that know how to play when they come off the pick and roll. It's just making reads and everything gets a lot easier instead of just being in a set offense, it's kind of just move and pass and cut and just playing basketball."
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"It's definitely simplifying things," Green added. "Trying to give floor balance and get some good action and then play out of that. It's not quite what we're accustomed to, but you have to adjust. I mean you can't just run the same offense with different personnel and think it's going to work."
Golden State's offense may take another turn. About an hour after Friday's loss, Green admitted he had a 'ligament' injury on his left index finger, potentially accelerating the offensive evolution once more.
"I think we made a lot of mistakes and there are some things we can clean up," Green said. "The intentions were there, we just have to keep improving."