Based on preseason expectations, the Golden State Warriors have had a somewhat disappointing season so far. They currently have a 15-13 win-loss record, which isn’t bad, but doesn’t reflect the immense amount of talent on this team.
They entered the 2013-14 NBA season with great expectations, but, recently, they have failed to play their dominant style of basketball.
Instead of playing their fast-paced, defense-first brand of basketball, they’ve been, more often than than not, sloppy. Their defense has been inconsistent,and their offense looks misguided at times.
One of the biggest problems for the Warriors this season has been their bench.
Toney Douglas, Jermaine O’Neal, Draymond Green, and Kent Bazemore are all solid defensive players, but they haven’t shown that they can provide consistent scoring off the bench.
The Warriors have some quality pieces on the bench.
Offensively, the bench might be slightly limited as a unit, but they show some promise occasionally. Douglas and Green can shoot the three pretty well, but neither one can really create their own shot.
Speights can shoot the mid-range shot but, again, has been inconsistent. Even Harrison Barnes, who is more of a scorer than those players, has been inconsistent offensively as the Sixth Man.
To be fair, the Warriors haven’t had a fully healthy squad since the beginning of the season. Douglas, O’Neal, Barnes, Andre Iguodala, and Stephen Curry have all missed games due to injury so far this season.
Bob Myers has said that he doesn’t want to make a trade yet, because he wants to see the team play together when everyone is healthy. It’s hard to gauge how serious a problem the bench is, when key players are injured.
So what should the Warriors do to address this problem? What type of player does the Warriors’ bench need?
The Warriors need to acquire a backup shooting guard. Some people believe that the Warriors need another backup point guard, because Douglas isn’t an offensive threat and Nemanja Nedovic is still developing.
Since Iguodala is able to play point guard though, it doesn’t seem like the Warriors need another backup point guard to solve the offensive problems that their bench has experienced.
The Warriors need to bring in a shooting guard that can come off the bench, be aggressive, and provide that offensive spark. They need an extra scorer off the bench to pair with Barnes, especially since Barnes is still developing into that Sixth Man role.
As a starter, Barnes is averaging 14.3 points, and, as a reserve, he’s averaging 9.6 points. He’s still adjusting to his new role, and he could become a lethal slasher and scorer off the bench. However, he’s just not there yet. He still needs time to develop.
It would take a lot of pressure off of him if the Warriors brought in another player who could score and create his own shot. Barnes and another shooting guard could provide the Warriors with quite the dynamic duo off the bench.
This other shooting guard wouldn’t necessarily have to play 25 minutes per game, but depending on the score and the matchups, could have an important offensive role off the bench.
The Warriors also need another shooting guard because they’re already thin on the depth chart at the position, with Bazemore as the only backup shooting guard.
Many people expected Bazemore to have a breakout-type of season, but unfortunately, that hasn’t happened. He has improved his three-point shooting and can get to the free throw line, but he is purely a defensive stopper. He’s too sloppy and doesn’t show much control or discipline on offense.
In the ideal situation, they need someone like a “Poor Man’s” Jamal Crawford who can come in and score quickly and easily. They don’t need this player to score 15 points per game; they just need someone who can take some of the offensive load and pressure off of Barnes and can make the transition from the starters to bench smoother.
While there are plenty of teams in the NBA searching for the next Jamal Crawford, embarking on this search would allow the Warriors to rest their starters more, which will benefit them in the playoffs and later in the season when fatigue starts to become a factor.
We’ll discuss some potential targets in the next iteration of this post, tomorrow.
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