Look at the Warriors Roster and Season-Starting Rotations
With the Avery Bradley signing to a training camp deal, it appears the Warriors are testing the waters for their 15th roster spot. With 13 contracts guaranteed and the team stating they’d be saving a spot for Damion Lee, the Dubs have signed veterans Langston Galloway and Avery Bradley to compete with young guns Michael Mulder and Gary Payton II for the 15th roster spot. Regardless of who gets the last spot, this Warriors squad looks to be the deepest since the year they went 73-9 with players who can play next-man-up left and right in the case that a key rotation player is injured. We’ll go position by position to see how the team’s depth is looking as the 2021-2022 season is right around the corner.
Starting off with guard, the Warriors have the reigning MVP snub in Steph Curry, backed up by Jordan Poole, and whoever the third guard is that will take the 15th spot. Poole’s development last season was critical to shoring up the minutes Curry had to sit. In 8 games where Curry sat, Poole averaged 22 points, just under 3 boards and just over 3 assists on 46/39/91. The Splash Nephew made a huge jump last season after spending some time in the G-League and figures to keep rolling. The Warriors tend to run a guard-centric offense, which would make an experienced veteran like Galloway an excellent option for the third spot: In 11 minutes per game with the Suns last season, he averaged 4.8 points alongside a rebound and under one assist per game on 42% shooting from 3. Galloway is a knockdown shooter at 37% for his career (albeit on not much volume) and has historically been effective off-the-dribble. The Warriors won’t need him to be Steph, but his offensive prowess is something to note when considering the last spot. Avery Bradley could also be an excellent choice, bringing a career 36% shot from downtown and very solid defense. He did post his worst defensive rating of his career at 120.3, but historically has kept it better than league average. He’s one of the more experienced point guards in the league, and would serve as an asset on both ends were he to make the roster; He may even be the favorite for the spot at this point if what he said about his status as the NBA’s best on-ball defender is true.
On the wing, Klay Thompson will be absent to start the season, but the Warriors will certainly have the depth to back him up. Rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody will be rostered and are both defensive studs, with Moody bringing along a nice shooting stroke and Kuminga’s athleticism giving him a ton of room to develop. Assuming they can stay healthy, Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica will be torching the nets to the tune of 40% and 38.7% career shooting from the arc, respectively. Porter’s frame and athleticism has him projected as a good defender, and the stats back it up with a defensive rating of 107.5 for his career. For reference, Ben Simmons has a 105.3 rating for his career, which shows how capable Porter is on that end. The Warriors will also have elder statesman Andre Iguodala and recent revelation Andrew Wiggins as well, both great defenders and shooters. Iguodala will bring coach-like wisdom and experience to a locker room he’s quite familiar with. Wiggins’ ability to put the ball in the hoop is probably his greatest asset, however, as the one thing the team lacked last season was a scoring punch until Wiggins found his stride. Assuming he will be available for home games, he will be a centerpiece to the Warriors offense alongside Jordan Poole when Steph is sitting and until Klay returns. The Warriors will also bring back recently-extended energy man Juan Toscano-Anderson, who many fans have likened to a more athletic and offense-oriented Draymond Green as a do-it-all type of guy, much like Green’s versatility on the other end.
In the middle, the Warriors will be deploying Kevon Looney as James Wiseman recovers from injury, although Wiseman will be in the rotation and will likely get decent minutes upon his return. The effective small-ball style of Steve Kerr’s offense will likely employ Draymond as a playmaking 5 fairly often as well, giving the team plenty of options on how to run the offense and defense with the two-time DPoY as their anchor.
The Warriors’ depth and versatility will make them a force in a West that somehow managed to improve. With more players and teams rested from early exits and a more normalized schedule, the playoff race is set to be a bloodbath with damn near every team putting forward a playoff squad. The likelihood is that Avery Bradley ends up as the 15th man, with his experience on both ends of the floor being something a team can’t get enough of. Short of the Lakers, this team is the deepest in the league, and their rotation will show as much by the ability to go 12 to 13, or maybe even all 15-deep with a serviceable lineup to keep things close. There’s a lot to be excited for in the coming season, and the Warriors will be poised to compete for the Larry O’Brien Trophy once more.
(Photo credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)