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

Break-in candidates for the starting lineup

Eric Paschall, Brad Wanamaker, Nico Mannion

Last season may have been depressing for fans of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson or Jacob Evans (anyone?), but it was an exciting breakout for Eric Paschall, a rookie out of Villanova. His undersized, stout frame drew immediate (and unfair) comparisons to Draymond Green. More accurately he is the offensive version of Green, playing undersized for the 4 but making it work anyway. If his growth continues, Kerr may try to get Green and Paschall more time together by starting them both.

At the other end of the spectrum, it’s possible that Kerr looks for a different look alongside Curry in the backcourt and starts another point guard. Brad Wanamaker was a reliable rotation player for the Boston Celtics over the past two seasons, and he could be a steadying presence for the Warriors that allows Curry to run off of screens off-ball.

The final name to discuss here is a long-shot, and certainly not a candidate early in the season. A second-round pick out of Arizona, the flame-headed Nico Mannion was a top-10 recruit coming into the college basketball season. A complete lack of spacing at Arizona and wildly inefficient scoring saw him tumble down draft boards. If it was simply a bad situation, and a bad season is obscuring a lottery player, then the Warriors got a steal and could see him develop into a reliable backcourt option.

As with any team, injuries and matchups will change this group of starters over the course of the season. Perhaps more interesting than who starts is who closes for this team, as Kerr has historically kept to a more rigid group of starters and kept his best lineups to high-pressure situations. Luckily for NBA fans, the Golden State Warriors play on Opening Night, which means we will find out right away who gets the first crack at the starting lineup.