Golden State Warriors’ painfully thin roster finally exposed

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 08: Moses Moody #4 and Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Golden State Warriors go for a rebound with Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a 104-101 Lakers win in game four of the Western Conference Semifinal Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 08, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 08: Moses Moody #4 and Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Golden State Warriors go for a rebound with Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a 104-101 Lakers win in game four of the Western Conference Semifinal Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 08, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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As the Golden State Warriors scratched and clawed to try and tie their second-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, one surprising young player was playing a prominent role in the fourth-quarter proceedings.

Having long been been held out of Steve Kerr’s rotation during the regular season, Moses Moody suddenly found himself playing the last ten minutes of Monday’s Game 4 in the hostile environment at Crypto.com Arena.

The Golden State Warriors’ painfully thin roster has finally been exposed as role players fail to answer the challenge against the Los Angeles Lakers.

There was another unusual face on the floor in the crunch moments, with Lonnie Walker IV playing the entire fourth period for the Lakers. Yet, despite both teams going to a surprise bench option down the stretch, the context of each felt very different.

Walker had demanded to remain on the floor with his play early in the quarter, ultimately playing a lead role with 15 points in the final period as the Lakers outscored the Warriors 27-17 to claim a pivotal 104-101 victory.

On the other side, Moody was solid without being overly impactful. His minutes in the fourth were a result of Kerr being bereft of alternatives, rather than the second-year forward stamping his will on that spot.

Moses Moody guards LeBron James during Game 4 between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Moses Moody guards LeBron James during Game 4 between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

This isn’t meant to be disparaging towards Moody — his ‘stay ready’ mentality has been one of the positives of this Golden State postseason. But if you asked the Warrior veteran core — Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green — who they would have expected to be closing with them in their biggest game of the season to date, Moody would have been one of their last options up until a week or two ago.

The fact is that Moody’s one of the few less standing in a roster that’s now plagued by inconsistency and unreliability. Curry is the superstar who will deliver on a nightly basis, Green will always bring an intensity on the defensive end, and Andrew Wiggins can usually be relied upon to provide 15 points (give or take), a handful of rebounds, and some solid perimeter defense. You can usually include Kevon Looney in this group, but illness has hampered his series since the opening game.

It’s hard to predict what you’ll get from everyone else heading into each game. That includes Thompson who backed up a 30-point Game 2 with 24 inefficient points combined across both games in Los Angeles. Jordan Poole is the epitome of the Warrior reliability issues right now — sure, he can provide 20+ points like he did in Game 1, but it’s hard to even offer that opportunity when the other end of the spectrum is so disastrous

Donte DiVincenzo’s three-point shot has largely been down this postseason, while Jonathan Kuminga has been completely left out of the mix after a promising regular season. Kerr’s desperation even stretched to JaMychal Green who started Games 3 and 4, and then Gary Payton II who started Game 5 after struggling to find a role prior.

Usually it’s about your superstars come playoff time, but occasionally it’s about the role players. An out-of-the-box performance can win a crucial playoff game — that’s what Walker did for the Lakers on Monday. Golden State simply haven’t got that enough in this postseason, and they now sit on the precipice of elimination as a result.

Next. Golden State Warriors: Poole comments add to near untenable situation amid new low. dark

Should we really be surprised though? This is a team who’s bench struggled throughout the majority of the regular season. Curry has been able to paint over the cracks of a thin roster to this point, but it’s finally being exposed in costing the Warriors their chance for back-to-back championships.