Despite being less than a month away from the start of the postseason, Golden State Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr said he has some decisions to make regarding the team’s lineups.
After their 121-111 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on March 25th, coach Kerr said that he is still exploring different lineups with the team but intends on narrowing it down very soon.
The Golden State Warriors have been working on their starting lineup as of late, and this is one new lineup they should consider testing out.
In Kerr’s defense, there are a number of players on the roster that deserve to start but only five available spots. One of those players is Jordan Poole. Poole is having a breakout season and has proven himself to be a starter in this league.
He’s averaging a career-high 17.7 points per game and has provided the team with consistent offensive play. Over the Warriors’ last 10 games, Poole is leading the team in points per game (26.0) and assists per game (5.7).
He has taken advantage of his recently increased role. So far in the month of March, Poole has outscored players like Devin Booker and Zach Lavine and has made more 3-point shots than anyone else in the league.
Even though Poole had success as the team’s 6th man, it is clear he is one of the best players on the Warriors’ roster and is more impactful as a starter. On average, Poole scores at least seven more points per game when he is in the starting lineup in comparison to coming off of the bench.
Up until his recent slump, Andrew Wiggins was also having a career year. He was an All-Star starter for the first time in his career, was averaging a career-high percentage from the 3-point line (41.3%), and established himself as a top two-way player in all of basketball.
However, since the start of February, Wiggins is only averaging 14.2 points per game and both his field goal percentage and 3-point percentage are down significantly.
This lack of production should be a cause for concern for the Dubs, however, the solution is not going to be benching the former first-overall pick in the 2014 Draft. Wiggins needs his confidence back and to get a rhythm going before the start of the postseason. Neither of those can be accomplished by giving him a lessened role.
The rest of the Warriors’ five-man rotation belongs to the three future Hall of Famers on the roster. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are all still playing at a very high level, they just haven’t had the opportunity to play together for more than 11 minutes so far this season.
We’ve seen Steph break the NBA’s all-time record for 3-pointers made and win the All-Star Game MVP while hitting a record 16 3-pointers, Klay returned to the court after missing two seasons and have 3 games in which he has scored over 30 points with at least 5 made 3-pointers, and Draymond be the leading candidate for DPOY while anchoring the league’s best defense.
Putting Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins alongside these three respected players will give Golden State its best chance at having success in the postseason. This lineup allows the Warriors to have their best offensive talent on the floor and play at the fast pace they are known for.