Golden State Warriors still lacking depth at center

The center position has always been a weak link for the Golden State Warriors, with respect to the rest of their star-studded lineups, at least.

Names like Andrew Bogut, JaVale McGee, DeMarcus Cousins and Kevon Looney have done enough to hold their own and keep the Warriors in title contention throughout the second half of the 2010s.

However, those savvy veterans are gone and Looney is the last big man holding the line for Golden State. Even with the sophomore James Wiseman expected to return sometime in 2022, the Dubs are lacking depth in the frontcourt.

The Golden State Warriors have a hole in their lineup and even with the return of James Wiseman, the frontcourt is lacking depth and size.

The Warriors’ lack of size and depth was put on blast against the Philadelphia 76ers. The seven-foot tandem of Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond combined for 35 points and 18 rebounds and was one of the biggest reasons for Golden State’s loss.

Nemanja Bjelica, who has been a bright spot for the Warriors, is clearly at a disadvantage when the Dubs tackle these taller teams. He was a minus-23 in just 13 minutes against Philly. Bjelica was also a minus-8 in his previous meeting with the 76ers and a combined minus-4  against the Phoenix Suns and Deandre Ayton.

Similarly, Looney was a combined minus-10 in the two games versus Phoenix. Though, Looney was a strong plus-12 against Philly.

Using a simple plus/minus metric to gauge the frontcourt is not enough for a final verdict. It is hard to say the Warriors are lacking anything in the frontcourt when Draymond Green is such an otherworldly defensive force.

I want to make it clear, there is no reason to ring the alarms just yet.

The Warriors have one of the best defenses in modern NBA history and rank third in rebounding despite their lack of height.

But, Green can only do so much at his height. Eventually, the Warriors need someone other than Looney to work in the paint. Can the Dubs count on Looney to go toe-to-toe with Ayton, Rudy Gobert, Anthony Davis or Nikola Jokic in a playoff series?

What about Wiseman? Is there any hope the young center can emerge as a useful asset against the best bigs in the league this soon?

The death-lineup works and Klay Thompson’s return will allow the Warriors to run big-men off the floor with ease. All indicators point to the Dubs having enough firepower on both ends of the floor to compensate for their lack of depth in the frontcourt.

Yet, it is worth noting they don’t have the typical depth at the center position they did during their three championship runs.