Golden State Warriors: Starting lineup locks, fringe, and potential break-ins

Fringe options for the starting lineup

Wing: Kelly Oubre Jr., Damion Lee, Kent Bazemore

With Stephen Curry at the point and Draymond Green at the 4, the team needs to pick another player to start alongside Andrew Wiggins on the wing. This is effectively the replacement for Klay Thompson, which means the team ideally would slot in someone with shooting and defense — the coveted “3-and-D” player.

It is unclear whether there is an obvious choice for that role, mainly because that skill set is rare. Kelly Oubre Jr. is the natural choice, considering the Warriors traded a first-round pick for him and committed to the astronomical luxury tax consequences of adding his salary. At 6’7″ Oubre matches Thompson’s size well, and he has the length and athleticism to be a plus defender. He also has improved as a scorer, even if his distance shooting is only a hair above average (35.2 percent last season).

If the team wants a better shooter to pair with Curry, then his own brother-in-law Damion Lee may be the pick. The shooting guard fought his way onto the roster and then demonstrated his worth during the lost year. He can more seamlessly run the floppy sets that Curry and Thompson have destroyed teams with.

The returned Kent Bazemore, another player close with Curry, could be a steady option for Steve Kerr. The pride of Old Dominion University bounced around the league after getting his start with the Warriors, but he has always been a tough guard defender and strong shooter. If Kerr decides he wants a smaller player to take on opposing point guards, Bazemore could get the nod.

Center: James Wiseman, Kevon Looney, Marquese Chriss

While Draymond Green famously moves to center in the “Death lineup” variations the Warriors have used over the years, he tends to start games at power forward. The resulting slot at center has rotated through a dozen choices since the rise of the Steve Kerr Warriors, from Andrew Bogut to Zaza Pachulia to JaVale McGee to DeMarcus Cousins.

This season Kerr has three options to choose from. Kevon Looney is the veteran in the system, and as recently as the 2019 playoffs demonstrated he had a lot to offer. Unfortunately, injuries ruined last season for him, and there is a question of whether he can hold up under a heavy minutes load.

That could lead Kerr to choose Marquese Chriss. Drafted by the Phoenix Suns to play on the wing, the 6’9″ forward has reinvented himself as a rim-running center for the Golden State Warriors. Last year he played in 59 games, second-most on the team, and became the de facto starter during the final weeks. He is a high-energy option who blocks shots, gets up for dunks and even improved his ball movement as the year went on.

Either Chriss or Looney could and likely will start, but the wild card is second overall pick James Wiseman. The former Memphis Tiger played just three games in college, which is a red flag that he is even more raw than a normal lottery pick. Will he be ready to start by Game 1? It is unlikely, especially given the way Kerr tends to lean on veteran players. That being said, he is this team’s future at center, and if he can pick things up quickly it will raise the ceiling for this team.