The Golden State Warriors didn’t have a center available against the Orlando Magic, and they paid a price that could’ve been avoided.
The last week or so has been difficult for the Golden State Warriors. While they’ve thrived with small-ball lineups in the past, the team has been forced into playing one consistently with two-way forward Juan Toscano-Anderson at the five.
That lineup has seen some success, but it should’ve never had to come down to that. Following the news that Marquese Chriss was out for the season, the Warriors should’ve prepared better, knowing they only had two big men on their roster after Chriss’s injury.
It’s not even just that Chriss went down with a season-ending injury, but it’s who they left manning their frontcourt with him out. The Warriors had a rookie and an injury-prone power forward to play the five.
Kevon Looney, a former first-round pick for the franchise, played just 20 games last season. While it was impossible to predict James Wiseman‘s injury, it’s not uncommon for a player of his size to sprain an ankle.
With those two out, the Warriors have been eaten alive by big men.
Against the Magic, a 12-18 team that they allowed to put up 124 points, Nikola Vucevic put up a 30-point triple-double. His dominance was why Stephen Curry’s 29 and Kelly Oubre Jr.’s 26 weren’t enough to will the Dubs to victory.
That said, there are ample big men still in free agency for the Warriors to target that they could’ve added following Chriss’s injury. Knowing what they know, there seems to be a few reasons why they may not have targeted a player.
One reason is that the team potentially didn’t want to have to waive or release any of their current players.
Another reason could’ve been that they had hoped they could’ve received some contributions from 2019 second-round pick, Alen Smailagić. Smiley just made his G-League season debut and played well.
Combine those two, and it’s understandable why they didn’t bring in a familiar face.
But, now after a brutal blow at the hand of an All-Star caliber center, the Warriors really need to evaluate how they prepare for the mid-to-long term future after a player goes down with a season-ending injury.
Toscano-Anderson and Draymond Green along with Andrew Wiggins have done an impressive job anchoring the team’s rebounding and defending players like Bam Adebayo.
Against bigger, stronger centers, it isn’t as easy, as they’ll continue to find out until Wiseman and Looney are about to make a return.