The Warriors have struggled with this for a very long time.
With 29 games left in their schedule, the Golden State Warriors are about to embark on a pivotal phase of their 2023–24 NBA season after taking a week off. The 27-26 Warriors still have a long way to go before they can challenge the No. 10 seed. Even so, the Warriors still have a lot of basketball left in them, and since they have one of the easier schedules left, Stephen Curry and company still have a chance to move up the Western Conference rankings. But the Warriors have to play almost flawlessly the rest of the way in order to succeed.
Lester Quinones is a two-way guard that Golden State is about to sign to a standard deal in order to fill their fourteenth roster space. With his grit and energy on the defensive end and his three-point shooting and shiftiness on the offensive end, Quinones has quietly cemented a place in Steve Kerr’s bench rotation. He is playing almost 19 minutes per game over the past ten games, scoring 6.7 points, grabbing 3.3 rebounds, and dishing out 2.0 assists on 40.0 percent shooting from outside the arc.
His “addition” to Golden State’s starting lineup does not, however, solve the team’s biggest weakness—that being their lack of size.
Warriors’ fatal flaw that must be fixed after the 2024 NBA All-Star break: Lack of size
With Draymond Green starting at center, the Golden State Warriors’ small ball unit remains their strongest lineup. This lineup has also evolved into their starting five. The Warriors have prospered on both ends of the court since Green’s long ban ended on January 15. Since then, Golden State has claimed the top spot in the league for both offense and defense. The squad has improved especially during the last ten games, going 8-2 and holding the fourth-best net rating in the Association.
Even still, the Warriors could still need to add more size to their frontcourt despite their recent success. Alongside Green in the frontcourt are third-year sensation Jonathan Kuminga and former All-Star Andrew Wiggins. The Warriors might still use a bigger player they could use in matchups with some of the bigger teams in the NBA, even though it might be the lineup that sees them through most of the game.
The Western Conference is expanding.
The Warriors’ lack of size proved to be the decisive factor in their second-round series loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the previous year’s playoffs. The massive lineups of the Lakers, which occasionally included James as the point guard, were unbeatable for Golden State.
Also, the two-time MVP Nikola Jokic leads a formidable frontcourt that includes a large Aaron Gordon and a long Michael Porter Jr. The Denver Nuggets, the squad that every team in the West has to defeat.
The majority of Western Conference teams have likewise increased the size of their frontcourts. Gordon Hayward was acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder in a trade. Additionally, the Dallas Mavericks made significant acquisitions in forward PJ Washington and center Daniel Gafford. Veteran Thaddeus Young was also signed by Phoenix through the buyout market. The Warriors cannot afford to lag behind as the West grows.
This season, Kevon Looney’s play has declined, and he is now playing off the bench. Against some of the league’s more athletic big men, Dario Saric lacks the adaptability and athleticism necessary. Lastly, Trayce Jackson-Davis, a rookie, may not be quite experienced enough to play a few minutes during the postseason.
The 2024 NBA trade deadline passed without the Warriors being able to solve their size disadvantage. Despite all the trade talk around the team in the days leading up to February 8th, they largely remained silent. The only thing Golden State did was trade Corey Joseph to the Indiana Pacers in order to get rid of his contract.
They did, however, attempt. According to reports, Golden State made an attempt to acquire Canadian center Kelly Olynyk, who ultimately found a new home with the Toronto Raptors after being dealt by the Utah Jazz.
The Warriors’ greatest option right now is to fix their biggest weakness after the 2024 NBA All-Star break by using free agents or even going through the buyout market.
It’s unlikely that Golden State will require a center. Maybe a big defensive wing might do, but if only as backup, it would be better to have a larger player on the bench.
There have been rumors of a reunion with former Warriors forward Otto Porter Jr. Even though he hasn’t been well since leaving Golden State in the summer of 2022, returning to the Bay Area might be able to revitalize him and help him restart his career.
