Without question, the greatest era in the history of the Golden State Warriors has been since Stephen Curry began his run as an All-Star level player. The best player in franchise history has led the team to six Western Conference titles and four championships since he overcame early-career injury issues and began his rise to superstardom.
Curry has hardly done that alone, of course. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have been his wingmen every meaningful step of the way. Kevin Durant was the co-star with Curry for three memorable seasons. Andre Iguodala was a jack-of-all-trades and a super-sub during the title runs. Andrew Bogut was an All-Defense anchor in the early seasons, while Kevon Looney has been stout more recently. Harrison Barnes and Andrew Wiggins have taken turns as versatile starting forwards.
The Warriors have had a number of contributors
Not every player has been a star, nor even a consistent, high-end contributor. Some players spent a turn as a starter but weren’t at the same quality as the core members of the dynasties. That isn’t necessarily a critique; it’s a hard task to play to the level expected on a perennial contender.
Who have been the worst starters of the Stephen Curry era for the Warriors? Such a prolonged period of contention means a lot of players have stepped into the starting lineup. Starting the clock with the 2012-13 season, let’s look at 16 players who have suited up for anywhere from 16 games to 127 (sorry, Zaza).
We’ll start with some fond role players (hello again, Zaza) and then transition to those players who were simply overmatched in a starting role, and finally, a couple of disastrous draft selections who weren’t up to the task.
Who have been the 16 worst starters for the Warriors in the last 12 seasons?