The Golden State Warriors were ready to continue as one of the contenders in the Western Conference, with many picking them as the biggest threat to the Nuggets, Unfortunately, the reality of the season so far has been rough, with the Warriors starting 6-7. The team has struggled significantly all season long, unable to find the right balance across their lineups on both the offensive and defensive end. They have lost their last five games in a row.
With Stephen Curry injured right now and Draymond Green serving a suspension, the Warriors need to hope their team can pick up a few wins and not fall behind the pace of the West. After the return of Curry and Green, the Warriors will need to lock in and try as many different combinations to find out what works, given the poor play of many traditional starters.
As a result, we have three different starting five combinations that the Warriors can use to see if they still have a title-contending roster or whether personnel changes are needed
Starting Lineup No. 1
Starters: Stephen Curry, Gary Payton II, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney
Bench: Chris Paul, Klay Thompson, Jonathan Kuminga, Dario Saric, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski
Our first lineup is probably our most experimental, as this lineup loads up on the Warriors’ defensive talents. Instead of picking between Chris Paul and Klay Thompson, we have relegated both to the bench to see if Gary Payton II’s defensive activity can lead to better results for the Warriors. They have the 14th-best defensive rating in the NBA right now, so doubling down on that with their natural offensive talent could lead to some great results.
Paul and Thompson would become the most dangerous backcourt duo and get more room to play their games as compared to becoming ineffective off-ball players alongside Curry. Thompson’s shot is off right now and once it starts falling, the team will start him. But until that happens, the Warriors could rely on Payton II to be a defensive menace as Curry continues to carry the team offensively. With Wiggins and Green also on the floor, the Warriors will be capable of locking opposing starting fives down.
GPII is averaging 6.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals this season on 34.6% from three, so the Warriors may need to see more offensive contributions to justify this change. However, a six-minute rotation to start a game isn’t necessarily going to require GPII to be a major offensive contributor. if he can marshall the defense alongside Green and allow CP3 to dissect weaker bench lineups alongside Klay, that’ll be more than enough.
Starting Lineup No. 2
Starters: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney
Bench: Chris Paul, Gary Payton II, Andrew Wiggins, Dario Saric, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski
This may be a more realistic version of lineup No. 1. If there is a case for any players to swap roles right now, it’s Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga. Wiggins has looked dreadful by his standards to start the season, averaging 10.5 points and 4.2 rebounds through the first 13 games. His defensive pressure hasn’t been as significant as it was in their 2022 title run and his rebounding has also taken a sharp decline. With Kuminga looking hungry for more opportunities, the Warriors could start giving him an opportunity by starting him alongside Draymond in the frontcourt.
If lineup No. 1 was defense-heavy, it’s hard to say this lineup isn’t. Kuminga and Green as a frontcourt defensive pair sound like a nightmare, with Kuminga proving he’s become a more reliable floor spacer as well. He’s averaging 12.3 points and 3.2 rebounds to start the season, but in his first start last night, he showed very encouraging flashes and outplayed Andrew Wiggins.
Klay’s shot may be inconsistent and his perimeter movement isn’t what it was, but putting his size on the floor will be crucial. He’s still one of the best off-ball screeners in the league, which will open up opportunities for Curry on the dribble. He’s a shooter who needs to keep shooting, so he retains his role in this lineup that gives a young star a greater opportunity while stressing defense.
Starting Lineup No. 3
Starters: Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney
Bench: Klay Thompson, Gary Payton II, Andrew Wiggins, Dario Saric, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski
A Chris Paul and Stephen Curry backcourt is what the Warriors envisioned when they initially made the deal, employing it in pre-season before realizing it shouldn’t be their primary lineup heading into the regular season. While I agreed with that decision, it may be time for the Warriors to give Paul the starting job alongside Curry just for the sake of mixing it up. Paul has shown great utility as a floor general, averaging 9.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 7.1 assists so far this season. Freeing up Curry of ball-handling responsibilities to let him confuse defenses with his off-ball movement, in turn opening up opportunities for others, would be one way the Warriors can optimize their wooden offense right now.
Curry has been backpacking the offensive output when healthy, averaging 30.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists to start the season. It’s his best start to a season since his unanimous MVP year, so it’s clear he is going to carry any lineup he’s in. Using Paul alongside him could be interesting, especially when the Warriors compensate for the lack of backcourt size with a Kuminga and Draymond frontcourt. The defensive floor of this team with Kuminga over Wiggins is already noticeable. There was a consistency that the Warriors could rely on with Wiggins, but with that missing right now, giving Kuminga a bigger opportunity should be imperative.
Kevon Looney will marshall the center spot in every lineup as the most dependable player, not named Curry, but the Warriors have a lot of combinations they can run with their diverse lineup. If this can’t lead to success by February, the team will have to make some hard decisions and make moves to maximize the championship window with Curry.
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