Pace isn't the issue here, either. The Warriors continue to play at a league-leading pace, but their pace (100.3 possessions per contest) hasn't actually quickened lately; they're not playing faster than they were earlier in the season. The scores of Warriors games are rising because they're featured unbelievable offensive precision on both ends. The Warriors aren't shooting more often, they're making shots more often... their opponents are doing the same, to say the least.
That this streak has coincided with the rise of Reggie Williams can not be considered a coincidence. Because, make no mistake: to date, Reggie Williams has, on a per-minute basis, been one of the most effective offensive players in the league this season. His simple per-36 minute averages -- 21.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists -- are nice, but they understate the quality of his contributions by a significant degree. Firstly, Reggie's True Shooting Percentage is a laughable .664... only two guys, Blazers Nic Batum and Jeff Pendergraph, rate ahead of him, and neither scores nearly as often as he does. In fact, his combo of scoring frequency and scoring accuracy is damn near historic... only ten guys have posted a .650+ TS% and a 20.0+ Usage Rate in 300 or more minutes, and six of them are named Barkley, Dantley, Gilmore, McHale, Nash and Stoudemire. Secondly, Reggie's 3.2 assists come at a cost of a mere 1.5 turnovers. The only Warrior who boasts a better assist/turnover ratio than Reggie's 2.07 mark is CJ Watson.
Essentially, Reggie has played like a more efficient Corey Maggette who can pass. And metrics that rely heavily on offensive production have noticed: Reggie's 21.0 PER would place him 22nd in the league (just ahead of Maggette, ironically enough), and his Offensive Rating of 128 (per Basketball-Reference) is higher than that of any player with enough minutes to qualify. The Dubs score 115.8 points per 100 possessions when Reggie's on the floor... only four guys have totals that high in big minutes, and they all play for Phoenix.
It's not like Reggie's just outperforming Anthony Morrow on offense. He's outperforming everybody on offense. No current Warrior -- not Curry, not Monta, not Maggette -- has ever posted across-the-board production this good. Reggie has not just been a good scorer... he's been a big-impact offensive player, a guy who systemically improves his team's offensive ability when on the floor. That's not bad for a call-up, and it suggests he'll be a big asset going forward, as long as he's not the worst defensive player in NBA history.
Sadly, we can not yet rule out that possibility. The Warriors have given up 120.3 points per 100 possessions with Reggie on the floor, an eye-poppingly horrible number... the next-worst mark on the team, Devean's, is miles behind at 113.8. No full-time NBA player has a mark worse than 115.8 (the three worst finishers, as you might imagine, are all Raptors). And thus, for all of his offensive magic-making, Reggie has not made a big impact on the team's ability to compete. In the thirteen games since Reggie signed, the team has been outscored by 4.1 points per 48 with him on the floor and by 6.5 points with him on the bench... the current Warriors are a little better when he plays, but only a little, and still well south of good. Because some of the offensive pixie dust he sprinkles on the Warriors lands on the other team, as well.
When Reggie Williams is on the floor, everybody can make a shot, and nobody can make a stop. Putting Reggie Williams into a Warriors game is like pouring gasoline on a grease fire. He's like the dudes at the end of "Desperado", the guys you call in when there's no other option but to burn the village to the ground. He has shown himself to be the living embodiment of all that the franchise loves... he is the most Warriory Warrior to ever walk the face of the earth. All hail Reggie Williams. All hail the ultimate Warrior.
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I've been watching nearly every game this season, and I haven't been able to pinpoint any direct evidence that Reggie is any more a horrible defender than any of the other Warriors. What exactly is he doing that's causing the team to give up so many points? The most glaring problems might be leaving open men for 3-pointers and driving lanes to get our big men in foul trouble, but it's not like Stephen, Monta, and Morrow were any better at those aspects before Reggie came aboard.
To me, it's more a systemic problem across the entire team. With a patchwork front line and the season nearing an end, it's plausible that Nelson is simply coaching to the team's strengths at the expense of its weaknesses. Basically, the team's been preached defense (supposedly) all season with no success, so why continue the losing battle?
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