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Golden State Warriors: 2016-17 First Quarter Grades

By Gerald Bourguet

November 28, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) celebrates with forward Kevin Durant (35) and guard Klay Thompson (11) during the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Hawks 105-100. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 28, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) celebrates with forward Kevin Durant (35) and guard Klay Thompson (11) during the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Hawks 105-100. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Golden State Warriors
Nov 18, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35), Golden State Warriors forward David West (3) and Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (9) congratulate each other during the first half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /

The Bench

When you have a starting five that includes Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, all you really need is a bench unit that can maintain leads. As we saw from the shortened rotations of the Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers in last year’s playoffs, an eight-man rotation is really all you need to put yourself in position to win a series.

That may hold true if we get Warriors vs. Cavs Part 3 in the NBA Finals, so with Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston coming off the bench, a health Golden State team will have at least a seven-man rotation to depend upon.

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The key will be finding an eighth or a ninth member that can hold down the fort in a competitive playoff series. The Dubs, who currently rank first in blocks per game at 6.6, may need JaVale McGee to contribute rim protection in limited spurts.

David West will need to stay healthy and lend his veteran poise and grit when he can. Rookie Patrick McCaw has shown signs of being a future contributor, but a playoff run might be too big for him so early on. Ian Clark will have to be as reliable and efficient as he’s been early on.

Fortunately for the Warriors, the bench has done its part thus far. Golden State’s second unit is only ranked 25th in scoring at 30.2 points per game, but with such an offensively potent starting five, that’s not what Steve Kerr needs from them.

What he needs, and what the bench has been providing, is efficient play and enough defense to protect leads. The Warriors’ reserves are shooting 51.9 percent from the floor (best in the NBA), with a +2.9 point differential (third), an offensive rating of 111.3 (second) and a defensive rating of 102.3 (11th).

Next: 2016-17 NBA Power Rankings: Week 7

The real test for Golden State’s bench will come in the playoffs, but for now, it’s doing its part in limited minutes.

Grade: B+

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