How the Warriors have improved their bench
The Golden State Warriors had an atrocious bench last season.
It’s not something that should have shocked fans coming into last season — if the front office lets the top two bench players, Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry, walk, then naturally that part of the team is going to suffer. It was the right move, though. Overpaying bench players is a death sentence for a franchise.
The front office realizes that they can be a good team without a bench, but it’s really hard to be great without a bench. Through some savvy and interesting signings, the Warriors have improved their bench in the offseason. The offseason has produced four new bench players that, on paper, look like they will move that group from a complete weakness to competent.
Were the signings flashy? No. But management has stuck to the strategy of not overpaying for bench and has done a great job replenishing this important part of the roster. Below are the four key pieces along with their season expectation:
Three years is a lot for a guy who has had his fair share of injury problems. That being said, I think he will fit in great if he can stay healthy. One of the biggest failures last season was the thought that Andre Iguodala could run the point while Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson could run off screens for open shots. Iggy doesn’t handle the ball well enough for that role and now Livingston comes in to take that spot. Even if he can’t shoot, no one will want him to. He just needs to use his height to see over people and find open shooters for an endless amount of threes.
The fit is great because he has a predefined role. Players who contribute from the bench need a role to get pumped for. Chris Anderson knows he needs to come in to contribute energy and rebounding. He doesn’t have to worry about anything else. Livingston’s role is completely different from Anderson, but it’s the same mindset: get pumped to come in and play good point guard, defense, and find shooters.
Barbosa is a sneaky, good signing. He has always been a player who you hated to see on the other team, and it’s good to have a player that opponents dread to see come into the game signed to the veteran minimum.
The Brazilian Blur brings a sense of urgency and a veteran edge off the bench. He’s another player that should know his exact role coming to the Bay Area. If the starting lineup had a rough shooting display, he knows that he needs to provide some scoring spark. If the team has a lead when he comes in, he knows how to provide annoyance and energy that can keep an opponent off-balance.
Of course the fear with Barbosa is that he’s creeping up in age and is one out of control fast break away from being injured. The good news is the Warriors aren’t expecting too much since he is signed for such a small amount. The signing makes sense because the Warriors management continues the strong strategy of not overpaying for bench players. They continue to gamble on a handful of bench guards, and I think Barbosa is a safe bet. Once again, every NBA fan has experienced Barbosa going off for 25 in a game and crushing dreams. It’s exciting to have a player like this on the Warriors.
It’s a feel-good story having Rush back on the squad. NBA junkies will recall Rush going down with an ACL tear the second game of the Warriors season two years ago. As a fan, it was sad to see someone get injured, but the loss of Rush hurt because they lost such a valuable long wing. I don’t know how much he has left and I think it’s unfair to expect Rush to come out and contribute right away. If he can hit corner threes and play solid defense then he will be worth every penny.
I feel repetitive but injury is the largest legitimate worry with Rush. You just hope he isn’t too heavily relied upon on this bench. If he is the sixth or seventh man, then this bench hasn’t gotten much better. At this point, Rush should be the 10th best player on a good team. It would be a total luxury if he was to heavily contribute. It’s just so hard to have faith based on injury history.
Festus Ezeli is basically a new player for this bench because he did not play at all last season. His contributions will seem as if they signed him as a free agent this offseason.
Last year was such a disappointment for Festus. It’s not that he played bad; he just didn’t even play! We all watched Ezeli show signs of being a legitimate backup center with a strong defensive presence as a rookie. We also watched how raw and clumsy he looked, but we had hope that hard work would turn him into a potential asset. Missing a whole year with injury is devastating and this year will be huge for Ezeli as a professional. Ezeli coming up big this season for this bench could mean the world for the entire roster.
A big physical backup center is an incredibly valuable commodity in the NBA. When Bogut was ruled out of last year’s Clippers series, think of how different that matchup would have been had Ezeli been able to roam the paint. Having him as a core piece of the bench makes the lineup much more credible and formidable. I’m not holding my breath for Ezeli, though, because he can’t seem to stay on the court.
These four players on paper look like they are going to contribute to a much more competent bench for the Warriors. I don’t love the idea of having to rely on a player who is incredibly old and three others that have serious injuries in their pasts. A player with risk of injury is something that management is used to. Take Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut, who were both given extensions at, or below, market value based on potential risk of injury. It’s a risk that Bob Myers is willing to take to allow himself salary cap flexibility in the present and future.
It is foolish to think each of the players above will make it through the entire season without getting nicked up a bit. I think the bench can survive having one or two players miss some time throughout the middle of the season. However, if three or four players all miss significant time, which is highly possible, then the bench will be a major concern and a talking point again this season.