These Warriors are at their best when they push the ball.
They rank third in the NBA in points per game (116.0), first in offensive rating (113.1) and 10th in pace (101.60).
But when All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins finally makes his season debut after a long recovery from a torn Achilles, the Warriors will have to change the way they play, according to Kevin Durant.
"We're gonna have to slow it down some," Durant said on Chris Haynes' Posted Up podcast on Nov. 20.
"And that's OK?" Haynes asked Durant.
"Hell yeah. When you have a player like that? You better adapt," Durant responded. "That's what makes us unique and great players on this team. We got guys that can adapt to any situation. So if we gotta slow it down for a quarter and throw it to DeMarcus and let him work and move off of him and play off of him, then why not? All of us can do it."
"Yeah, you pros," Haynes interjected.
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"We're pros, and we're smart basketball players, and we've got a smart coach, and DeMarcus is a high-IQ player' Durant said. "He's a basketball genius just like the rest of us, you know what I'm saying, that know the game. So we're going to have to slow that thing down, wait for him to run up the court sometimes, and he's gonna have to adapt to us as well.
"It's a 50-50 partnership at all times when it comes to this. You gonna have to come a certain way, and someone's gonna have to meet you there. You need to bring the best of you, and he needs to bring the best of him and we need to figure out how we're going to make that work, and I think we all can. Like, DeMarcus is good in pick-and-rolls, he's good in the post, he can bring the ball up.
"We know it's going to take time to get back into game shape, game flow, but if we can help him out as much as we can, I think he's going to be phenomenal for us."
Cousins has made progress toward his return since Durant made these comments, but the Warriors have yet to announce an official return date for the big man.
There are signs, though, that Cousins is getting close. The Warriors have assigned him to their G League team in Santa Cruz several times so he can participate in high-intensity practices that he otherwise wouldn't get in Oakland.
And, on Friday, at the Warriors' practice facility in Oakland, Cousins and Durant engaged in a friendly game of 1-on-1 that ended when Boogie dunked on KD.
The Warriors are eager to get Cousins in the lineup, and everyone else is eager to see how he fits in with the team. Will the champs slow it down, as Durant says, or will Cousins be able to play at a pace that suits them?
We'll find out soon.
