Warriors Still in Dire Need of a Backup Center
By Ben Pickman
Forget about the result of the Warriors-Grizzlies game Tuesday night.
The Warriors lost but an asterisk the size of Australia sits above the score. Andrew Bogut didn’t play, and without Bogut, the Warriors are a completely different team.
But come playoff time, not having Bogut is not an excuse. And last night, Warriors fans were reminded of their need for a true backup center.
Memphis’s frontcourt is better than the Warriors frontcourt. But that comparison doesn’t only include Z-Bo and Marc Gasol. It also includes the Grizzlies secret asset: Kousta Koufos.
The Warriors need to develop or find someone like Koufos.
The seven-foot center who grew up in the state of Ohio and attended Ohio State has quietly developed into one of the best — if not the best — backup center in the entire NBA. An average of 3.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game won’t make anyone jump off the couch, but Koufos will get paid this summer upon his contract expiring.
Koufos has developed into a solid rim defender. With him on the floor, the Grizzlies actually hold opponents to a lower percentage shooting from less than five feet. Their defensive rating with Koufos off the floor is more than five points worse than with him on the floor. Koufos is not a great offensive player, but because of his rebounding and defensive prowess, he is a valuable asset for the Grizzlies.
Warriors management want Festus Ezeli to eventually become that guy. But you likely cannot be an impactful NBA player if you average more fouls per game than rebounds per game, which is the case for the Vanderbilt graduate.
Ognjen Kuzmic is not close to being an impactful NBA player either. Kuzmic has played in only eight games this season and predominantly only checks in when the game is out of reach.
Last night the Warriors were partially victim to the “Marresse Speights Experience.” The former Florida power forward’s box score was pretty: 18 points, 50 percent shooting, eight rebounds. But Speights took 14 shots — that’s the key number. Bogut is averaging only 6.2 attempts per game. So I understand that Bogut was out, but playing Speights for an extended period of time drastically changed the Warriors offense.
Speights hustled and was a force on the boards, but his shot selection was questionable at times. Tuesday night when the Grizzlies stifled the Warriors guards, Speights held the ball on the elbow from just inside the three-point line, waiting for someone to get open. He kept waiting and waiting and waiting, until eventually, forcing up a long contested two point shot.
Speights did shoot 50 percent, but Bogut doesn’t shoot jumpers like Speights. Actually, he doesn’t shoot jump shots at all. Speights, on the other hand, likes to pull up from just inside the arc. But who would you rather have shoot jump shots: Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green or Marresse Speights?
The answer is everyone but Speights. So while Speights may continue putting up off-the-charts statistical numbers, he fits the second unit far better than the first.
Last season Jermaine O’Neal backed up Andrew Bogut. But Old Man Jermaine hung up the shoes this summer and without him in the lineup, the Warriors have a massive hole.
They need a true backup center. Whether that means trading for sometime like Kosta Koufos, or just signing a Kenyon Martin-type big man, the Warriors need to patch up their backup center hole.