The Golden State Warriors have been one of the more confusing teams to figure out in the NBA this season. They were just 7-6 during the month of December, with a handful of heartbreaking losses. Now, the Warriors are 7-3 in their last ten games and are 24-19 overall on the season. There are nights where they look formidable, but then there are nights where they look like a play-in squad.
Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler have been the two constants for Golden State this season. Outside of them, the Warriors have been searching for consistency from anyone in their supporting cast.
From Draymond Green’s antics to their young core of Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody not panning out like they’d hope to their lack of consistent frontcourt, Golden State has some flaws that need fixing. With the trade deadline coming up, there is one obvious move they need to make to improve their roster.
The Warriors should go after Pacers center Jay Huff
After making the finals last year, it has been anything but smooth sailing for Indiana this year. They are just 10-33 on the season, have dealt with a plethora of injuries, and are likely going to tank during the second half of the year to better their draft position.
Huff has been one of the lone bright spot for the Pacers. He’s averaging nearly nine points per game, and is swatting away two shots a night, which places him second in the league behind only Wizards center Alex Sarr. Huff actually leads the league in total blocks with 90 on the season.
Huff would fit the Warriors’ system perfectly. He is a big man that can space the floor, he can play pick-and-pop with Curry, and he can rim protect at a high level. Golden State’s defense has been one of the league’s best so far and adding Huff would fortify the paint even more.
Adding him to next to Curry, Butler, Green, and Moody would give them four switchable defenders and two guys in Green and Huff that could protect the rim.
With the Pacers tanking, and already in the market for a long-term option at center for Tyrese Haliburton’s return, Huff likely would not cost much on the open market. The Warriors need to fortify their frontcourt if they want to make another deep run with Curry at the helm in a stacked Western Conference.