Golden State Warriors: Lacking Frontcourt Depth?

With training camp just weeks away now, the Golden State Warriors training camp roster is squared away with a host of players looking to either secure a roster spot or tune up for the 2014-15 NBA season.

For Dubs fans, one of the lesser discussed storylines going into camp is the slight lack of depth at the center position. A close look at the big men currently occupying the training camp roster is just a bit startling.

The center position is widely regarded as one of the weakest when it comes to talent by position in the NBA. For the Golden State Warriors, Andrew Bogut represents the center position for years to come.

More from Golden State Warriors

Bogut recently signed a massive contract extension that will take him through 2017. The bad news: he’s so banged up on a regular basis that it’s not easy to stomach paying him so much. The good news: the extension is incentive-heavy, rewarding him for playing full seasons or for scoring NBA honors like All-Star appearances or all-defensive teams.

Averaging a double-double for three straight seasons with Milwaukee (2008-2011) and finishing sixth in the league in blocks per game last year, the Golden State Warriors are well-aware of what kind of production Andrew Bogut can provide when healthy.

So I’ll knock on wood for Dubs fans and then hypothetically say Bogut goes down again. Even worse, early in the season. Who starts at center? Can Steve Kerr and Stephen Curry still hope to even make an appearance in the Western Conference playoffs? Forced to patch together another small, mismatched front court of power forwards playing in and out of their comfort zone, I would say slim chance.

Here’s a quick glance at the Golden State Warriors depth chart at center going into training camp at the end of the month. After Bogut, you have Marreese Speights, Festus Ezeli, and Ognjen Kuzmic.

Speights is essentially an offensive-minded small forward in a 6’ 10” frame that plays center. He doesn’t protect the rim, he doesn’t rebound, and for some reason he thinks he’s a good jump shooter. He finishes well at the rim but he balances that by shooting from all over the floor at pretty low percentages. Not a guy I would trust with much more than a backup big man role.

I’ll give Speights major credit for one thing though. Towards the end of last season, he stepped up in a big way for the Dubs’ playoff push at the end of March and into April. In the last 8 games of the regular season, Speights averaged 10.8 points and 6 rebounds — both nearly double his season averages.

Festus Ezeli can be easily chalked up under the “to be determined” category when it comes to NBA talent. Picked 30th overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 2012 NBA Draft, Ezeli came off of a full four years at Vanderbilt with the right physical size and skillset to compete for a roster spot in the NBA.

The Warriors knew of Ezeli’s potential and they trusted him with 41 starts in his rookie season in place of an injured Andrew Bogut. His role was strictly to defend and take up space, as he averaged just 2.4 points per game. He did manage to rebound with success, especially on November 19th, 2012 in a game against the Dallas Mavericks where he collected seven offensive rebounds. Despite the 41 starts, he never logged more than 30 minutes in a game, and then missed all of 2013-14 with a knee injury.

It goes without saying that Ezeli is amped to get back onto the court for the Golden State Warriors in front of the Oracle Arena crowd. Best case scenario for Festus is he develops into a defensive anchor-type center and eventually starts someday, somewhere. For now he’ll provide backup minutes to Andrew Bogut.

That brings us to Ognjen Kuzmic.

The 24-year-old Serbian is listed on Basketball-Reference.com as 7’1”, 251 pounds. He’s got the body to play center in the NBA for sure, but his issue thus far has been his athleticism.

Playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA’s D-League last year, Kuzmic led the league in rebounds per game with an impressive 11.7 boards per game. From Rusty Simmons of SFGate.com, Steve Kerr has instructed “Kuz” to forget about scoring. Kerr wants the big man to create a name for himself with the Golden State Warriors by rebounding, defending, and setting brick wall screens.

So that’s exactly what Ognjen Kuzmic will do. After playing just 92 NBA minutes last season, he’s in the process of getting used to the NBA’s fast-paced offensive and defensive transition. According to him, he’s still working to see if he can play in the league.

The Golden State Warriors have a really solid starting five for the 2014-15 season. They even have talented role players on the bench to support the first unit. But if Andrew Bogut goes down again, the Dubs have shown they’re not prepared with an answer to that scenario.

Marreese Speights could look different in Steve Kerr’s system. Festus Ezeli could surprise everyone and come back with a vengeance from his knee surgery. One thing is clear; the depth and development at center for the Golden State Warriors needs work moving forward.

Home/Golden State Warriors