The Golden State Warriors, of course, are anxiously awaiting the returns of Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody to the rotation.
Without the downhill scoring that Butler provides or the 3-and-D skill set that Moody grants this roster, the team is likely dead in the water when the postseason rolls around. Stephen Curry is still near the top of his game, but he simply can't take on that sort of burden anymore.
To get to the playoffs, though, is an entirely different story. Golden State is well aware of the depth they'll need across the roster, and they've attempted to amass that late in the offseason with a series of non-guaranteed contracts. They've added Georges Niang, Brandon Williams, and Dalen Terry to compete for their 14th and 15th roster spots, and it looks like there will be some competition among the two-way players as well.
For many fans, 'depth' doesn't serve as an excuse for not pulling the trigger on a trade for a start this offseason. But for what it's worth, Steve Kerr feels confident in what Golden State has put together on the back half of the roster.
“So I think our depth is the answer that to the question you asked. We're going to have to rely on our whole roster, including our two-way players at times. And fortunately, I do feel really good about the guys we have who have kind of filled out the back end of the roster," Steve Kerr, The Tom Tolbert Show
As my colleague aptly Peter O'Keefe pointed out, there's ample reason to be frustrated by this statement. But there's also a positive spin here—especially if pieces like Gui Santos, Brandon Williams, and De'Anthony Melton can help carry a significant offensive workload over the course of the season.
Golden State's playoff hopes don't hinge entirely upon Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler
Granted, we're walking a pretty thin tightrope here in projecting Golden State to be competitive by the end of the season. Almost everything will need to go right, and what Kerr's statement highlights is the fact that it can't just be limited to the team's stars, or even their starters. Virtually everyone across the roster is going to need to show major improvement this season.
So in the tone of optimism, let's project what that might look like (setting the projected starters to the side for now).
It likely starts with Santos and Melton. Of the players projected to be on the Warriors' bench, they're both the most capable of being leading offensive factors. Santos took major strides last season as an interior scorer and a pure bucket-getter, and if he can continue to develop in that capacity we could see him take on a role as the Warriors' primary bench scorer. Melton, meanwhile, will likely split opportunities with Brandin Podziemski to a certain extent, but even when he's coming off the bench he has a chance to be major 3-and-D factor for Golden State.
Beyond that, we're certainly getting into the weeds a bit. But there's room to project Williams as the lead ball-handler the Warriors have long been trying to place behind Curry in the rotation, easing his burden as the team's primary point guard. Williams posted a 2.05 assist-to-turnover ratio last season with the Dallas Mavericks, and having him available could help maximize bench pieces like Will Richard who will primarily operate off-ball.
Speaking of Richard, we saw him develop into a reliable rotational contributor and a budding defender during his rookie season. If that continues, he could have a major role to play in the rotation by the end of the season. Toss in Charles Bassey as traditional, rebounding big man depth, and things are starting to look much more solid.
As Kerr says, even the two-way contributors have a part to play. LJ Cryer has proved himself as a reliable perimeter shooter, and he could help take on some minutes if the team needs help in the backcourt. With Butler out, moreover, there's also a chance that either Malevy Leons, Alex Toohey, or even Lajae Jones sees some time in the rotation. Of those three, Jones seems to have the most projectable path to rotational minutes, particularly as a 3-and-D prospect.
At the end of the day, the Warriors are going to need to stay afloat over the first half of the season if they want to have any shot at the postseason. Any true path to projecting that falls upon these players.
Golden State might not have the most inspiring rotational depth, but there's certainly room for the roster as a whole to look solid if everything comes together for each of these players.
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