Can David Lee Save the Warriors?

Life is weird.

You think you have it all figured out and then life throws you the biggest curveball and then everything that you held to be true is in question.

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That’s kind of what the Golden State Warriors are going through right now. They’re heading to the fourth game of the NBA Finals after posting the best record in the entire league and they’re still trying to figure out what to do. When it looked like the Warriors were lifeless, David Lee seemed to rejuvenate them–albeit just for a few minutes, but there were definitely signs of life.

All season long, Lee has been looming in the background. Becoming relevant when the Warriors struggled to score. Becoming forgotten when the team was thriving. Everyone has a strong opinion on Lee–ranging from “start him” to “trade him.” But there he was. The former All-Star was on the bench, rooting on his team including his replacement. The former captain waited, on the bench, for his time to make Warriors fans cheer him or, at least, want him. In what has been the Warriors’ most unforgettable season, Lee’s experience has been the exact opposite.

May 5, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward David Lee (10) shoots the basketball against Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) during the first quarter in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Warriors lost control in the third quarter of Game 3. Digging themselves a hole (which later proved to be insurmountable), Steve Kerr was running out of time and options. So he put Lee in because why not? If it fails, they were all crashing and burning anyways. If it works, then it works. And guess what? It worked.

It worked better than anyone could have predicted. In his first NBA Finals game, Lee looked good. He set solid screens, rolled to the basket with purpose, passed to open teammates, and he put the ball in the basket. In 13 minutes, he scored 11 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, dished out two assists, and was a team-high +17. The pick and roll with Curry was deadly; Cleveland didn’t know what to do with it. He was everywhere. And they damn near came back.

Lee didn’t do too much and maybe that’s exactly what the Warriors need right now. Not flash. Not stubbornness. Stephen Curry is turning the ball over trying to throw behind the back passes with just minutes left. Draymond Green keeps taking it into Timofey Mozgov‘s chest who’s getting the “verticality” benefit of the doubt. Lee rolled and shot when he was open and passed when he wasn’t. He made the simple play.

Green is struggling right now and he’s pressing. Dealing with a back issue, he’s not getting the lift he needs to sink the three-pointers that the Cleveland Cavaliers are giving him. The three-pointers he’s hit all season. The three-pointers that completely open up the Warrior offense. At the center position, Andrew Bogut has been nonexistent. The Cavs’ active frontcourt is dominating Golden State’s. If Green isn’t making the jumpers that made him more valuable than Lee and if Bogut isn’t playing the defense that made him more valuable than Lee, then maybe the Warriors’ need to switch it up.

The Cavs have a pretty obvious and specific game plan. Cover Curry. Cover Klay Thompson. Let others beat you. The picture below shows that perfectly.  But maybe Lee is the Warriors’ wild card that no one (not even the Warriors themselves) have planned for. Maybe his pick and roll and post ups can throw the Cavaliers’ defense off just enough to find the Splash Brothers better looks.

I, along with most Warriors fans, have been hard on Lee all year. I’ve said that his style of play just didn’t mesh with what Kerr and the Warriors have wanted to do. All season long, the Warriors’ identity has been an extremely tough defensive team that wants to get out and run. Lee isn’t that. Lee can’t switch onto guards and defend them. He can’t run the floor as well as others. He wants to post up in the half court and get buckets down low. Against most teams, that wouldn’t work. But against these Cavs, it could save the Warriors. When Lee was a starter, you knew what you were getting from him. Right now, the Warriors don’t know what they’re going to get from anyone so Lee could be a calming, veteran presence.

These could be Lee’s final days as a Warrior. It’s really hard to overlook the fact that he’s the highest paid player on a team that, over the course of an 82 game season, might not really need him. It’s not practical for the Warriors’ and it’s unfair to a complete professional like Lee to have him rot on the bench. After the year that Lee has had both on and off the court, this could be exactly what he needs as his up-and-down career with the Warrior looks like it’s coming to a close.

But maybe this is his time. Maybe the Warriors need him more than they thought they did. Maybe the answer to the questions surrounding the offense is the biggest question all season. Maybe the solution to fix the complicated motion offense is to simplify it with that Curry/Lee pick and roll. Switching up what worked all season long in the fourth game of the NBA Finals seems crazy, but maybe crazy is good. Lee shouldn’t start, but he should get more than 13 minutes especially if the Golden State bigs are struggling.  Once upon a time, Lee was a rock for the Warriors–a consistent veteran.

Maybe–just maybe–David Lee, the most forgotten player, can be exactly what the Warriors need to push them over the top.