Golden State Warriors: Shaun Livingston out kills an already awful bench

Shaun Livingston, one of the Golden State Warriors only consistent bench threats, is out for a few weeks. That’ll really hurt an already sad second unit.

There have been just two players that have anchored the Golden State Warriors second unit. Those are Shaun Livingston and newcomer Jonas Jerebko. However, for at least the near future, they’ll be without the lengthy Livingston, worsening an already pitiful second unit.

Livingston is reportedly out indefinitely with foot soreness. A pretty vague description of Livingston’s condition doesn’t present fans much hope of a speedy return for the veteran guard.

Even with Livingston, fans often dreaded seeing their superstars subbed out of the game. That means that their league-worst second unit will be stepping on the court and the walking highlight reel that is Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant will be off the court.

The Warriors second unit averages the league’s fewest points per game. Without a single player averaging double figures, Jerebko leads the unit with over seven points per game while Livingston comes in second with 5.5 per game.

Livingston is certainly more than just a veteran bench presence. He’s an efficient scorer, an athletic defender and a patient initiator of a well-formed offense. Livingston works effortlessly with either the second unit or starting group.

He moves extremely well without the ball and has made a huge impact with his IQ over the last few years. And, until he returns, fans can rest assured the team won’t go into full relapse with the full health of all four 2018 All-Stars.

That said, Livingston’s absence could be more brutal for the bench than many think. For starters, Livingston shot over 56% from the field. Efficiency like that will be hard to replicate on a unit already devoid of scoring.

With Livingston on the court, the Dubs are nearly 20 points better than their opponent. Even playing the majority of his minutes without both superstars, Livingston’s ability to excel within the Warriors system has been a huge, underrated peak of his unselfish play.

As he sits out for quite some time, expect the second unit to continue to not display much promise. Even with players like Jordan Bell, Jacob Evans and Quinn Cook, it’s still the veterans that keep this clock ticking.

His presence will be missed.

Get well, Shaun.