It’s no secret that the start to Kelly Oubre Jr.’s time as a Warrior has been less than ideal, especially when it comes to his shooting – the forward shot just 33.6% from the field and 13.7% from distance entering Tuesday’s matchup against the Pacers.

But an athletic 25-year old who has improved his scoring every season in his career and averaged 18.7 ppg last year for the Suns is nobody to give up on, and maybe all that is needed is a rotation shakeup.

So if Steve Kerr were to move Oubre to the bench, who could take his place in the lineup?

Let’s look at some options:

Damion Lee:

Why it makes sense – A shooter pulling as well as Lee early in the season would be a nice addition to the starting five, especially considering all the bodies opposing defenses are throwing at his brother-in-law Stephen Curry. Open catch-and-shoot threes are there for the taking, and in Lee’s case in 2020-21, they’ve been there for the making. 82.6% of his shots through 10 games were catch-and-shoot, and he hit 48.6% of such shots from three. Lee also leads the team in plus-minus, and the better Andrew Wiggins performs, the more efficient looks Lee figures to get.

Why it doesn’t make sense – A common theme among potential Oubre replacements is their absence of a solid defensive pedigree, which the current starter provides. Oubre is tasked with guarding the other team’s best guard just as Klay Thompson always was, and when it comes to the most valuable shot in basketball, opponents made 6% fewer of their shots from three last year when guarded by Oubre as opposed to Lee. With Golden State 27th in the league in opponent 3-point percentage before playing Indiana, and Oubre carrying the defensive burden to preserve Curry’s energy on offense, Kerr might think twice about pulling Oubre for Lee.

Mychal Mulder:

Why it makes sense – Mulder emerged for Golden State last season with the likes of Chasson Randle, Dragan Bender and Juan Toscano-Anderson, but Mulder seems to have fit in better than the rest. Mulder signed a three-year deal with the Warriors before this season, which makes it easier to give him a more prominent, consistent role as opposed to Toscano-Anderson, whose two-way deal limits his time eligible for the active roster. The former Kentucky Wildcat is averaging under 11 minutes and 4.2 points through 11 games, but has converted 42.8% of his 3-pointers this season. In an article by Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle, Kerr said he can trust Mulder to play with energy and a sound basketball I.Q., and believes he has the reach to guard on the perimeter like Oubre.

Why it doesn’t make sense – While Mulder has shown to be an exceptional shooter and a high-energy reserve, inserting him into the starting lineup could be risky given the small sample-size of his NBA career. Mulder has played well in spurts this season, but with only 18 total NBA games under his belt, Golden State may want to consider a replacement with more experience.

Kent Bazemore:

Why it makes sense – In his second stint with Golden State, last on the list is the most-experienced potential option. Kent Bazemore – who played just 15:31 in the Warriors’ first four games – saw extended play of up to 20 minutes off of the bench in the next seven contests. Bazemore has gone 7-of-15 from distance this year, and had a lower opponent field goal percentage as the primary defender than Oubre last season (43.4% to 47.3%). Bazemore also has an established rapport with one Wardell Stephen Curry dating back to the Mark Jackson era, and perhaps aligns himself more with the ball-movement ethos of Golden State. Oubre has 43 more turnovers than assists in his career (380 to 337), and Bazemore is +220 in the other direction (1031 assists to 811 turnovers).

Why it doesn’t make sense – Bazemore’s veteran presence with the bench has proven to be valuable thus far, such that if he were to be inserted as the starting two, the reserve unit could lose an important piece in its success. The bench outscored the Raptors’ backups 46-23 on Sunday, and changing Bazemore’s or anyone’s else’s role could be fixing ‘what ain’t broke’.

Pick to potentially replace Oubre – Damion Lee

Oubre fittingly may have had his best half as a Warrior against the Pacers, scoring 15 points before finishing the game with 17 on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-7 from distance. If Oubre builds off of Tuesday, the conversation may become moot. But if no. 12 were to regress to his performances of the first 10 games, Kerr has options, and Damion Lee, a relative veteran in Kerr’s system, is the best of them.