Golden State Warriors: Ranking the team’s center options

2. David West

West can do most of what Pachulia can. He gives up a little more size inside and is not quite as nasty with screens, but is just as skilled a post passer, just as unselfish offensively and just as physical on D.

Then there’s the myriad things he does that Pachulia cannot. He’s an elite mid-range shooter (in the 96th percentile among big men at 58 percent), an impactful rim protector (leading the team with 3.6 blocks per 36 minutes) and a capable switch guy. He does not run like McGee, Looney or Bell, but can still get up and down the floor.

This skill-set makes West’s minutes the safest among the team’s big men. He is perfectly adept at taking over for Pachulia should the matchup call for it, while also providing far more of a boost for bench units.

Think back to Marreese Speights‘ pick-and-pop chemsitry with Shaun Livingston. West provides a similar jumpshooting punch, but with more post scoring and facilitating.

He’s the Warriors’ second-best bench player to Iguodala. This makes him the second-best guy to pair with the four All-Stars, which in turn makes him the best center option other than Green.