Warriors set to address lack of center depth with another small-ball option

Having announced their 20-man training camp roster on Sunday, there's a distinct lack of genuine center options for the Golden State Warriors which leaves little wiggle room in the way of injuries or other unavailabilities this season.

The Warriors will enter the season with veteran big man Kevon Looney, second-year center Trayce Jackson-Davis, and seven-foot rookie Quinten Post on a two-way contract. Regardless of whether he's the team's starting center or not, Draymond Green is also expected to see his fair share of minutes at the five spot.

But Green isn't the only small-ball option Steve Kerr may turn to as the season develops, with the newly acquired Kyle Anderson also a potential alternative as the equal-second tallest player on the roster behind Post entering training camp.

Kyle Anderson's effectiveness as a small-ball center could prove incredibly important for the Warriors

Having started his career as a small-forward, Anderson has been a four over the last few years where his ball-handling and playmaking has been valuable as a point forward. He did delve into a few center minutes during his time with the Memphis Grizzlies, but wasn't required so much in that role across his past two seasons in Minnesota who had the likes of Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid.

After coming from arguably the biggest lineup in the league with the Timberwolves, Anderson appears eager to accept the challenge of Golden State's contrasting style, even suggesting at media day that he could be more comfortable in the small-ball system.

Dray (Green) telling me 'oh nah you a five now, you not a guard no more, you a center in this offense'. It's going to be something I need to get adjusted to, not having Rudy (Gobert) or big Kat (Towns) out there with me," Anderson said. "Just playing more small ball, I think I'll be more comfortable in that setting being at the four or sometimes even playing at the five."

The 31-year-old being able to play successful as a small-ball center could unlock plenty of front court combinations for Kerr as he tries to work out rotation minutes on a deep Warriors roster. There's currently a logjam of sorts at power forward with Green, Anderson and rising star Jonathan Kuminga, making it imperative for all three to be versatile and capable of playing at different positions.

Anderson has been viewed as having another version of Green given their similar skillsets, but it will be fascinating to see if the veteran pairing can actually play together for significant minutes. Any Anderson minutes at center could also feature Kuminga at the four, though there could be rebounding question marks given neither have ever averaged more than five boards per game during a single season.

Having shot a career-low 22.9% from three-point range last season, Anderson also revealed he's worked on his shooting mechanics this offseason in what could be a major development for he and the Warriors.