Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors finally settled on a consistent starting lineup over the final months of last season, but not one that's not viable in the long-term nor suited to how the league is heading.
Draymond Green's role as a small-ball center isn't a new one, but the Warriors leant heavier than usual on that as they made their run to the second-round of the playoffs. For as successful as it was for Golden State over the final 30 games of the regular season, there's little doubt that Green was worn out physically by the second-round against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Starting Green at center simply isn't a method to sustainable winning over the long-term, and everyone knows it including the Warriors who are still looking to address it this offseason.
Channing Frye outlines what every Warrior fan already knows
When asked to give a hot take on a recent episode of the Road Trippin' podcast, 2016 NBA champion Channing Frye stated his belief that the Warriors will blow it up mid-season, pointing to their lack of size in the modern game.
"But look at the trend of where the NBA is going. OKC is a very tall team. The Cleveland Cavaliers are a tall team. Boston is a big team. Denver's a big team. Minnesota's a tall team. Houston is extremely tall. Golden State is still playing small ball -- and I don't know if that works anymore," Frye said. "I just don't think you can be successful playing small ball anymore. You need to have a legit big man."
Now, many fans will argue on whether or not Golden State will 'blow it up' next season, but few will argue against the fact the team needs to get bigger to lessen the burden on Green and match the physicality of opposing teams around the league.
With the way the Warriors play though on both ends of the floor, they want functional size that preserves their versatility. There's no point having a seven-footer with no scoring beyond the paint when Golden State already have spacing issues with Green, Jimmy Butler and perhaps Jonathan Kuminga, or a slow-footed big man who can't step out onto the perimeter with some hope of surviving.
It's why Golden State are so heavily linked to veteran big man Al Horford. While the 39-year-old may only be 6'9", he will still allow Green to move back to the power forward spot and bring a bigger team than we saw at the end of last season.
Horford's versatility could also allow for double-big lineups with he and one of Quinten Post or Trayce Jackson-Davis, having played plenty of minutes at the four in combination with Kristaps Porzingis over the past two seasons.
The Warriors, fans and everyone around the league know they need to add size, so hopefully it's something they address quickly enough to avoid this 'blow it up' idea that Frye predicts.