The Golden State Warriors have found a surprising level of viability with their current rotation.
Even being without Kristaps Porzingis—which now appears to be a permanent situation as the Warriors have begun withholding payments on his contract—the Draymond Green-led, small-ball lineup for Golden State has paid dividends. Al Horford has been limited in his minutes and his production, but the emergence of Charles Bassey as a truly viable rotational center for the team has eased some of the concerns stemming from that.
Of course, the Warriors' primary need remains a consistently viable center, and the hope is that they can move the Porzingis contract in order to bring one into the organization before the trade deadline in Februray. But before they take another step, they need to have a complete picture of how each of their three current centers fit into their rotation, if at all.
Bassey answered that question on Monday against the Phoenix Suns, posting 19 points and eight rebounds off the bench for Golden State. Even if he's not a consistent, starting-caliber center, he can always provide energetic minutes alongside the starters when necessary. With that performance, the Warriors now have a full picture of what Bassey can be within the context of this rotation.
In short, he passed Steve Kerr's test.
But Graham Ike, who came to the Warriors this season on a two-way contract, hasn't truly had that opportunity yet, and Golden State needs to give him some minutes when the opportunity presents itself in order to solidify their picture of this current rotation.
Graham Ike likely isn't a true option for extensive minutes at center—but the Warriors need a full picture of their rotation
There's not a ton of room to argue that a center rotation of Green, Horford, Bassey, and Ike is a championship-caliber one. There needs to be a move made before the end of the season to give the Warriors a boost in that regard.
But before that can happen, the Warriors need to answer some questions. Is the small-ball lineup their best option for the remainder of the season? What sort of offensive production can they expect out of Horford as he continues to ramp up? And what sort of role could Bassey and Ike play if it takes Golden State until the trade deadline to add another player to the rotation?
Ike had a solid preseason with the Warriors, averaging seven points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 44% from the field across five games. He largely provides a traditional center skill set—although his offensive game is limited even near the basket, he can rebound and defend at a relatively viable level. He's not as energetic or as flashy as Bassey can be, but he's on this roster in a two-way capacity so he can be called upon when additional minutes are needed at the position.
It always takes a while for Steve Kerr to trust players—he tends to want to see them in a variety of situations before granting them a fuller berth of rotational minutes. Bassey completed that task against Phoenix, showing viability both with the starters and the bench unit over the course of the matchup. Ike has two starts this season, but he's only crossed into double-digit minutes in three of the Warriors' eight games. More importantly, he's played a total of just 15 minutes with Curry on the court.
For what it's worth, Golden State's defensive rating in those minutes is an abysmal 167.7.
But even so, Kerr needs to find opportunities to put Ike out there with different combinations of players over the next few weeks, if simply to see what he can accomplish against NBA-level talent. The matchup against the Miami Heat won't provide much opportunity for that, but upcoming games against teams like the New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, and Los Angeles Clippers very well might.
This early part of the season needs to be about experimentation for the Warriors as they identify the true extent of their needs, then, and that should extend to Ike over the next month or so.
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