Ranking all 6 potential Warriors starting lineups from gross to gold

Lineup No. 4: Bench Draymond Green

Starters: Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney

Draymond Green is a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate, making the All-Defensive Second Team a year ago and eight times across his 11-year career. In last year’s playoffs he was the Warriors’ preferred option to defend both De’Aaron Fox and Anthony Davis; that level of versatility and impact is special, even with Green now 33-years-old.

With that being said, there is some precedent to bringing him off the bench. The Warriors did that in last season’s playoff series against the Sacramento Kings for a couple of games after Green returned from a one-game suspension. The theory for doing that in the regular season is that it would reduce some of the load on Green by reducing his minutes and allowing him to exercise his playmaking and leadership on the second unit.

The flip side is that Green’s connection to Stephen Curry is truly special, and the two players unlock each other’s upside. Separating the two in the rotation should be the exception, not the rule. Curry’s off-ball movement and relocation is hard-wired into Green’s passing vision at this point, and his defensive ability supports Curry on the perimeter.

This lineup is the one most likely to start the regular season if Green is unable to go, and even once he returns he’ll likely come off of the bench for a few games to manage his minutes and delay the decision. Ultimately, though, the Warriors need to have him in the starting lineup when the chips are down.