The Golden State Warriors have always found success in maximizing players on minimum contracts. Players like Phoenix Suns forward Damion Lee, Los Angeles Lakers forward Juan Toscano-Anderson and even Nemanja Bjelica from last year’s squad were all on one-year veteran minimum contracts who grew into reliable players come playoff time.

This season has been no different. 

With the Warriors experiencing one of the league’s worst injury bugs including missing their leader Stephen Curry, somehow, the Warriors have been on a 5-1 stretch with impressive wins over the young Memphis Grizzlies and the surging Utah Jazz. 

Warriors guards Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson and forward Draymond Green have excelled in their own right, but it has been the two-way players who have made contributions night in and night out. 

Warriors forward Anthony Lamb is averaging 11 points and 3.6 rebounds in the past six games while shooting a scorching 39.4% from 3-point range throughout the season. 

Warriors guard Ty Jerome is also averaging 11 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists and has Head Coach Steve Kerr reveling in his presence as the backup guard. 

“With Steph [Curry] out, Ty Jerome has to play because we need a point guard,” Kerr said in an interview with The Athletic. “We’ve got to get organized. If we can’t get organized, we’re in trouble. Ty comes in and settles the game down.” 

Since its introduction in the 2017-18 NBA season, teams like the Warriors have been taking advantage of the two-way contract. While these contracts don’t count toward the fifteen total roster spots on the team, the two-way players have limited time on an NBA court — 50 games to be exact. Players who are on two-way deals have until the last day of the season to convert to a normal NBA contract.

The Warriors have one roster spot open, as the Warriors elected to keep the 15th roster spot open at the end of training camp back in September 2022. With that in mind, here’s my breakdown on both players and who I think the Warriors should convert the two-way contract to a full contract by the end of the season.

Ty Jerome
At the start of the season, many Warriors fans were questioning why Jerome was getting so much playing time in comparison to guard Moses Moody. These inquiries were valid — why is Kerr favoring a two-way contract player instead of a lottery pick who is critical to the two-timeline plan and needs time to develop? 

Well, as Kerr put it, Jerome is the floor general. Warriors superstar Stephen Curry got injured on Dec. 14 versus the Indiana Pacers, and the Warriors simply didn’t have enough point guards that were ready. 

Poole is the leading ball-handler and organizer for the bench unit but is now the starting point guard. Guard Donte DiVincenzo can play the point guard position for the bench mob and has excelled in his role thus far, but after that, who else is left? Moody and Thompson are traditional shooting guards, so giving them ball-handling duties would not be wise. That only leaves rookie guard Ryan Rollins and Jerome in the guard spot, and Rollins isn’t ready just yet. 

Jerome is in his fourth NBA season and, as covered by SB Nation, was a stabilizing force and key part of the team as the starting point guard when Virginia University went on their championship run. Jerome has NBA experience and provides a calm veteran presence.

But, once the Warriors get healthy again, I just don’t see Jerome getting playing time down the line, especially during the playoffs. Though Jerome is 6’5”, he isn’t a great defender. He often gets beat off the dribble by quicker guards and is late on rotations. 

Additionally, with Curry back in the rotation, there will be limited minutes in the guard rotation with Poole, Thompson, DiVincenzo and Moody already earning their stripes.

Anthony Lamb 
Warriors forward Anthony Lamb has produced great performances for the Warriors thus far. The 6’6” product from Vermont has proved that he belongs on the NBA court and can stay on the court with his smart defensive instincts and outside shooting. 

This season, Lamb is shooting a ridiculous 39.4% from 3-point range. Even with his questionable form, Lamb has shown that he’s a reliable outside shooter — which is essential for the Warriors offense. 

Lamb has also been a great defender, as his size and strength derails any offensive player trying to get past him. Additionally, in terms of the wing position, there is actually opportunity for Lamb compared to Jerome. 

Once Warriors forwards Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga come back, Lamb will continue to have more chances. Warriors forward JaMychal Green has been disappointing, to say the least. Green was supposed to fill the role that Toronto Raptors forward Otto Porter Jr. provided, but Green’s outside shooting has been inconsistent and his defense has been subpar. 

Hopefully, Warriors forward Andre Iguodala will be ready for the playoffs. Until then, the wing position seems to be pretty wide open. Even when the team had more bodies, Kerr was already favoring Lamb over Green. 

Lamb’s outside shooting is valuable and his contributions on the defensive end is what keeps him on the floor.

Conclusion 
Although Jerome has a couple of good moments during his time with the Warriors, I see Kerr giving Lamb more minutes down the road than Jerome.

 With two-way wings like Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr., Memphis Grizzlies forwards Dillon Brooks and Desmond Bane and New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson in the Western Conference, Lamb will have more opportunity to stay on the floor.

Having Jerome as that fourth string point guard would be another solid option, but in order to completely maximize that last roster spot, Lamb could have potentially a huge impact come playoff time that the Warriors shouldn’t miss out on. 

(Photo credit: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)