Where will David Lee fit in when he returns?
By Jordan Lee
The Warriors are on a great streak and apparently Stephen Curry rains so many threes that it has remedied the California drought – as per local food truck myth.
With the win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Warriors improve to a 10-2 record. The Warriors fan base is all smiles right now and incredibly optimistic about the season’s outcome. “Championship” is a word often used now without hesitation or shame among Warrior hopefuls, but that’s not to say the path will be easy. Shaun Livingston continues to disappoint me — as I grumbled over previously — and another point of concern for me is the team’s chemistry particularly when a certain David Lee returns.
Lee, the forgotten Warrior, as some would call him, will return eventually, possibly even later this week. I predict that he will make a return during this road trip, as he is traveling with the team, and will see limited minutes before being fully incorporated into the rotation. Injured Warriors in the past have stayed at home during team road trips, so there may be a chance after all that Lee plays this week. But where will he fit in?
Draymond Green has been a superb fill-in in the starting power forward position for the Warriors while Lee has been injured. The question is, when Lee returns, will he reclaim to his position in the starting line up or will be be a bench player in order not to shake up the starters’ great chemistry thus far? Many people expect him to return to the starting lineup where he has always been, but there are others who have something else in mind, and I am one of them.
Everyone on the starting lineup is clicking right now, and by no means do I want to mess that up. The Warriors are 10-2 for a reason and the starters are a big part of that. The team’s most glaring weakness is the bench. Shaun Livingston and Festus Ezeli have not earned the playing time that they have been getting in meaningful minutes, and I had to shake my head in disappointment Sunday night at the beginning of the second quarter when Kerr quickly put in Klay Thompson and Draymond Green 30 seconds into the quarter when he saw how terribly the bench was doing. The Warriors do not need an upgrade for our starting lineup — they need an upgrade for their bench.
I would like to see Lee join the bench players and give them a much needed post presence. The story of the Warriors so far to me has been one of complete dominance when the starters play while the other teams make gains while the bench players go in. Don’t get me wrong — I think David Lee is an amazing player and he certainly is of starter quality, but I also believe that his services might be more necessary and more beneficial for the Warriors among the bench players. I would have Lee be the one in there so that Thompson and Green don’t have to return earlier than planned like they did against the Thunder. I think Lee could take some time off of Livingston’s 15 minutes per game, Harrison Barnes‘ 29 minutes per game, and even some time from Curry and Klay, as having a more solid bench would increase Kerr’s confidence in keeping the bench in rather than having to return the starters sooner to the court.
The only thing that scares me about this season is injuries. One sprained ankle or one major surgery later and the team’s championship hopes could be dashed. One way to help the players stay healthy is by reducing the players’ wear and tear by reducing their overall minutes throughout the season. During the Spurs’ championship year last year, none of their players averaged more than 30 minutes per game during the regular season. So far this season, the Warriors have three (Curry, Thompson, and Green) with a close fourth (Barnes at 29:37).
Let David Lee be the man among the bench players, and I believe the Warriors may just complete the puzzle.