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Golden State Warriors: Reviewing the bigs in 2018/19 and their free agency projections

By Evan Quarnstrom

DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 1: Damian Jones #15 of the Golden State Warriors shoots the ball against the Detroit Pistons on December 1, 2018 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 1: Damian Jones #15 of the Golden State Warriors shoots the ball against the Detroit Pistons on December 1, 2018 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images /

For years the Golden State Warriors have been searching for a consistent combination of bigs to sure up their frontcourt. Here’s a look into how they fared last season as well as how I think they’ll do in 2019/20.

Over the last decade, the Golden State Warriors have struggled to find a strong, lasting combination of bigs for their frontcourt.

Draymond Green emerged as a staple power forward/small-ball center in 2014, but aside from him, it’s been musical chairs of draft picks and free agents to fill the voids.

With the Warriors’ perimeter players (Curry, Thompson, Russell) eating up a large chunk of the team’s salary, the Dub’s management has had to get thrifty and creative in how they acquire their bigs.

In years past the Warriors have looked towards cheap free agent signings of ring chasers and NBA journeymen to fill this void, such as (in no particular order) David West, Jermaine O’Neal, Zaza Pachulia, Marreese Speights, Anderson Varejão, Javale McGee, Jonas Jerebko and DeMarcus Cousins.

They’ve also turned to the draft in search of a reliable big man, but largely without great success. They’ve selected Damian Jones, Kevon Looney, Festus Ezeli, Ognjen Kuzmic, Jeremy Tyler, Jordan Bell, and, of course, Green.

This year they selected two more, Eric Paschall and Alen Smailagic, hoping to find a solid rotation player.

Throughout the Warriors’ current run the backcourt has been the common denominator, while the front court has been lots of mixing and matching to fill out the roster.

Heading into the 2018/19 season, the Warriors were ready to hand the keys over to their youth movement — Jones, Looney, and Bell. However, the youth movement did not really play out as hoped.

DeMarcus Cousins signed with the Warriors, Jones went down with a pectoral tear, Bell regressed from his promising rookie season, and Green underperformed.

The doubt in their big men ultimately lead to the Warriors searching for more front court depth, pulling Andrew Bogut from the land down under to eat up minutes at the five.

Overall, the front court was a constant work in progress throughout the Warriors’ 2018/19 season and still a big question mark as we head into next season.

Let’s dive into the individual 2018/19 performances of the 7 main Warrior bigs and predict how they will fare next season.

** Predictions made before free agency commencement**

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