Checking in on the Golden State Warriors supporting cast

A little while ago, I wrote all about how the Golden State Warriors‘ supporting cast just isn’t strong enough. Knowing that the team was coming up on a pivotal stretch where they would either sink or swim – I thought I’d get in any final criticisms before the role players embarked on an opportunity to prove themselves. So, how are they doing now?

The Golden State Warriors bench has received fair criticism to start the season. How are they holding up now that we’re nearly halfway through?

Despite all of the criticism, Golden State’s bench has remained in the top 10 for scoring. This is mainly because the Dubs spread minutes between 8-13 players on any given night, boosting their total bench production – but it’s a good statistic nonetheless.

Even better, the team actually seems to hold up well when Stephen Curry is off the floor. At least, that’s what the advanced analytics say. Most five-man lineups that have played consistent minutes without Curry post positive Net Ratings. And, this isn’t just a case of the bench playing garbage time minutes when the game is already decided – they hold positive Ratings in the first three quarters as well.

This is one of those instances where the advanced stats don’t match the eye test. I mean, the team looks horrible when Curry isn’t at the front of everything they do. There’s a reason he’s playing at one of the highest usage rates of his career and why the Warriors’ success is directly correlated to how he plays each night.

Nonetheless, the Dubs role players must be doing something right. At least, some of the time. We’ve seen how Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre have been game-changers when they can score the ball. Their borderline elite perimeter defense makes them high-impact players when they score too.

For verification, the Warriors are 7-2 when Oubre scores 15+ points. Furthermore, they win by an average margin of 20 when Oubre reaches that threshold. The same is true for Wiggins, with the team going 9-3 when he scores 18 or more points.

This trend continues down the rotation. Unspursingly, the Warriors are a better team when someone in the supporting cast steps up and scores the ball. Guys like Wiggins, Oubre, Eric Paschall, Damion Lee, Kent Bazemore and James Wiseman have the keys to unlocking the entire offense if they can find a way to get a bucket for themselves (or create one for others).

Even with all of the positives, such as Oubre making a leap in efficiency and Wiggins finally hitting his stride, the Warriors’ supporting cast remains lacking inexperience. Poor decision making and rough shooting nights put a cap on how successful the Dubs bench can be.  We’ve seen encouraging signs through 25 games but we still need to see more before this is a championship-caliber group.