The Golden State Warriors made a notable starting lineup change in their final preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night, removing young forward Gui Santos in favor of a more traditional look with Charles Bassey at center.
Bassey played only eight minutes in the 128-118 victory, but it could signal the Warriors' plans as they prepare to face Walker Kessler and the Los Angeles Lakers in their season opener on Wednesday.
Charles Bassey start could signal plan for Walker Kessler and Lakers
Following their first preseason hitout against the L.A. Clippers in Hawaii, and outside the game in Portland where they rested effectively their entire rotation, Kerr and the Warriors had seemingly settled on answering Kristaps Porzingis' ongoing absence by going small with a frontcourt of Santos, Yaxel Lendeborg and Draymond Green.
Golden State opted to rest Green in Tuesday's game against the Lakers, allowing Bassey to also start then in what was Kessler's first outing in the purple and gold after being acquired in a blockbuster sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz at the start of free agency.
Kessler instantly imposed his 7'2" size on both ends of the floor, recording 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds in less than 16 first half minutes. He led all Lakers players as a +15, helping them to a 63-50 lead before resting in the second half where the Warriors turned the tables for an 11-point victory.
The Warriors are likely to continue leaning on their small-ball options of Green and Lendeborg, along with veteran center Al Horford off the bench, but don't be surprised if the Warriors do start big with Bassey to try and negate some of Kessler's early impact on Wednesday.
Charles Bassey could bring more defensive impact from Draymond Green
Playing a traditional big man next to Green doesn't just lessen the burden for him defensively, but it could bring about more impact on that end. Instead of being forced into battling seven-footers under the rim, the 36-year-old can slide into more of a roaming role off the ball where he can clean up missed assignments and mistakes from teammates.
Golden State will, of course, have to weigh up the positives of that with the negatives of less spacing and far less offensive versatility with Bassey as opposed to Santos. With Green and Bassey occupying two frontcourt positions, the Lakers (and other teams going forward) will have two players they can sag off from beyond the paint.
Kerr has confirmed he's leaning toward the smaller combination with Santos, but Friday's final preseason outing provided one final lineup tweak that could prove relevant against the Lakers on Wednesday night.
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