Without Klay Thompson, the Golden State Warriors small-ball death lineup wasn’t the same.
If they did manage a small-ball lineup, it was with two-time MVP Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Jordan Poole and Kelly Oubre Jr. Something in that realm is what Golden State would be rolling with.
The Golden State Warriors will get shooting guard Klay Thompson back next season, and that could bring back their lethal small-ball lineups.
While bringing in Kelly Oubre Jr. was still a smart decision for the Warriors, he wasn’t an elite option in the small-ball lineups as his shooting didn’t create that lethal amount of court spacing. Oubre Jr. struggled from deep this past season, shooting only 31.6 percent from deep.
With Oubre Jr. sidelined the last several weeks, the Warriors opted to use Juan Toscano-Anderson to fill. His ability to shoot boded well for the Dubs’ spacing.
While JTA and Oubre provided some court spacing, obviously neither are at the same level of Klay Thompson. However, Toscano-Anderson shot well enough, 40.2 percent from deep, to potentially get the small-ball power forward minutes.
Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Green, and JTA would produce a formidable lineup, one that may be able to make a player like Rudy Gobert a liability. The Clippers did it, and the Warriors with Thompson should be able to as well.
Of the Warriors’ top five most-used lineups during the 2018-2019 season, one stuck out in terms of net rating.
It was one that had Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Kevin Durant and Green. The small-ball lineups that are competent defensive work for Golden State. This lineup had a per-game net rating of 28, by far the best among five-man groups with at least 100 minutes.
This past season, the only lineup that totaled over 45 minutes of court time and had a double-digit net rating was Curry, Green, Kent Bazemore, Mulder, and Toscano-Anderson. Another lineup without a player over 6-foot-9.
Now, these aren’t the best to use at all times in a game, but they are elite options either down the stretch or in unique scenarios. With Durant, the Warriors mastered it, and even for him, they had two-way players that lined the court.
With Thompson on the brink of return next season, the Warriors will have the firepower to put together one of the most lethal small-ball lineups in the league. Thompson has shot over 40 percent from deep each of his eight seasons in the NBA.
Golden State is going to be able to lace the court with shooters and make it impossible to play a dominant big. That’s why players such as Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo are increasingly important.
That said, expect Thompson’s return to usher back in the dominance of Golden State’s small-ball lineups.