Golden State Warriors: 6 Possible Opening Night Lineups
By Ben Pickman
February 12, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Houston Rockets small forward Chandler Parsons (25) shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors small forward Harrison Barnes (40) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Rockets defeated the Warriors 116-107. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Every NBA coach and GM has countless options for their roster. Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson, however, has a lot to figure out between his versatile swingmen and clogged wing rotation. Either way, he has to send out a team each night. A group that he expects to be productive when on the floor together.
With the arrivals of Marreese Speights and Andre Iguodala in addition to power forward David Lee returning from a torn hip flexor in April, Jackson will be faced with more possibilities than he otherwise would have.
Here are six possible opening night starting lineups for the Warriors come October.
Possibility 1
PG- Stephen Curry
SG- Klay Thompson
SF- Andre Iguodala
PF- David Lee
C- Andrew Bogut
Why it makes sense: This will most likely be the Warriors starting lineup come opening night. It features new free agent acquisition Andre Iguodala, not to mention the return of David Lee. Iggy adds more defensive pressure, and look for the Splash Brothers (Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson) to be even better this season than last.
Drawbacks- Starting Iggy at the small forward spot over Harrison Barnes takes away some of the wide open three’s that Curry and Thompson hit last season. Iguodala shot only 31.7% from three last season and defensives will gear up on Curry and Thompson from behind the arc and leave Iguodala be.
Likelihood- 8. This lineup features the best players at each position on the Warriors and come opening night is the lineup coach Mark Jackson will likely roll out.
Possibility 2
PG- Stephen Curry
SG- Klay Thompson
SF- Harrison Barnes
PF- David Lee
C- Andrew Bogut
Why it makes sense- With Barnes in at the small forward position the Warriors will be far more lethal on the offensive end of the floor than with Iggy. Barnes also has great chemistry with Thompson and Curry. Barnes averaged 16.1 points per game in the postseason, more than Thompson and Bogut and would be an offensive upgrade over Iguodala on that end.
Drawbacks- What one giveth, one taketh away. Barnes provides the Warriors with an offensive upgrade but Iguodala is a night-and-day better defender than Barnes.
Likelihood- 4. If this five shows growth and improvement in the preseason then coach Jackson is likely to start these five guys. He knows they can play together and have been successful in the past as a unit, which should help their cause.
Possibility 3
PG- Stephen Curry
SG- Harrison Barnes
SF- Andre Iguodala
PF- David Lee
C- Andrew Bogut
Why it makes sense- Thompson provides the Warriors with the best offensive punch off the bench and would in turn become the focal point of the Warriors second unit. Iguodala would lock down opposing small forwards and Harrison Barnes would be able to take advantage of his opposing two-guard on both ends of the floor.
Drawbacks- There would be no more Splash Brothers. With Curry and Thompson not on the floor together to start games, the Warriors game plan would be drastically different and the shot that made the Warriors so lethal all season would be hindered and limited.
Likelihood- 1. Very little chance Mark Jackson breaks up the Splash brothers.
Possibility 4
PG- Stephen Curry
SG- Klay Thompson
SF- Harrison Barnes
PF- Andre Iguodala
C- Andrew Bogut
Why it makes sense- Small-ball, my dear Watson. This allows the Warriors to be even more lethal on the perimeter and would free up even more space for shooters like Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry. It would provide more room for a slasher like Andre Iguodala and would also require little movement from Andrew Bogut, which is always a positive.
Another reason why the lineup could be used is if David Lee needs more time to recover or if Coach Jackson wants to ease him into the season. If Lee isn’t 1,000 percent ready to go by opening night then look for this lineup to be heavily used.
Drawbacks- The Warriors would be overmatched defensively against bigger opponents such as the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, and Memphis Grizzlies. Andre Iguodala is too small to defend the likes off Blake Griffin, Omer Asik, and Zach Randolph respectively.
Likelihood- 3. This lineup would only really be used as a starting five if Lee is not ready to go by late October. If Lee is ready to go then the chance of this five starting a game together is even more diminished.
Possibility 5
PG- Stephen Curry
SG-Klay Thompson
SF- Harrison Barnes
PF- Andre Iguodala
C- David Lee
Why it makes sense- This lineup is similar to the two-time defending champion Miami Heat’s five. The Heat start Mario Chalmers, Dwayne Wade, either Shane Battier or Mike Miller, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. They move their best defensive small forward to the four, and their power forward to the center slot playing without a true center for much of the game. For the Warriors, this moves Andre Iguodala to the power forward spot and David Lee to the center spot pushing Andrew Bogut to the bench.
Drawbacks- Much like the lineup above, the Warriors would be vulnerable to bigger teams such as the Grizzlies and Clippers. Lee is one of the worst defenders in the league and this puts the Dubs at a steep disadvantage defensively.
Likelihood- 1. This puts the Warriors at too much of a defensive disadvantage. They couldn’t stop a nose bleed with this lineup.
Possibility 6
PG-Stephen Curry
SG- Klay Thompson
SF- Andre Iguodala
PF- Marreese Speights
C- Andrew Bogut
Why it makes sense- The Warriors play two good defensive big men to start games and have two scorers coming off the bench. They are able to hold serve against big lineups of the Grizzlies, Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets, and Los Angeles Clippers, but when the second unit comes in, they will have the best in the league.
This lineup would not play much time together, but it could very easily be one of the Warriors’ most productive fives come next season.
Drawbacks- Both Lee and Barnes could grow tired of newcomer Marreese Speights stealing their minutes. Both would likely prefer starter minutes, and if both came off the bench then they would both be relegated to 22-28 minutes per game individually. This also allows teams to lock down on Curry and Thompson, as Iguodala and Speights are not dominant offense players like Lee or Barnes.
Likelihood- 0.5. There is very little actual chance that Jackson starts Mo Speights over David Lee. It might have been more justifiable five years ago, but Lee is too productive of a player. Lee led the league in double-doubles last season whereas Speights struggled to play more than 20 minutes per game.