Golden State Warriors: 2021 injuries show depth is crucial, Dubs can learn from that
The deepest teams are winning this postseason, and it should give the Warriors a lesson they’re all too familiar with.
Having been to the NBA Finals for five straight seasons prior to missing the playoffs the past two, the Golden State Warriors know just about as good as any franchise in the NBA that depth is of utmost importance.
The Golden State Warriors have sat at home and watched the playoffs. One lesson they should learn is the continued importance of depth.
However, Golden State hasn’t always had the cap space to bring in top-tier veterans. Players like Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa would play on veteran’s minimum deals to be a part of greatness.
This season has shown the importance of a deep roster once again, and the Warriors should have just that moving into next season. That said, both the Suns and Bucks have had their fair share of injuries, but they’ve also played heavily injured teams.
The Suns played against the Lakers, who were without Anthony Davis the last few games and had a hobbling LeBron James.
Los Angeles then took on the Suns without star guard Jamal Murray. Finally, they played the Clippers without Kawhi Leonard, missing Chris Paul for a few games as well. Nonetheless, no one is taking anything away from their success.
For Milwaukee, they took on the Miami Heat, a team that proved they weren’t quite as good as the bubble showed. They then were given the title favorite, the Brooklyn Nets.
Kyrie Irving missed most of the series while James Harden was nursing a hamstring injury despite playing the last few games. Lastly, they took on the Atlanta Hawks who were with an injured Trae Young the last several games.
To even the fight, Milwaukee was without Giannis for the last two games.
That said, injuries have played a large role in the playoffs, but at the same time, teams prepared to survive injuries have also won. Cameron Payne stepped up and dominated with CP3 out, and Bobby Portis played an impactful role without Gianniis.
That’s what Golden State can learn from. Do they think forward Eric Paschall and guard Jordan Poole can be the players that take that next step if two-time MVP Stephen Curry or three-time All-Star Draymond Green go down?
Next. Top 30 Golden State Warriors players in franchise history. dark
That’s what they must answer before going into next season, especially with Klay Thompson coming off two season-ending injuries. It could prove to be what either returns them to title contention or continues to keep them away from it.