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Golden State’s Biggest Positions of Need, Ranked

Recent rumors that the Golden State Warriors have their eye on Michael Carter-Williams sparked this year’s annual offseason roster debates for Dubnation. After all, aside from rooting against the Los Angeles Lakers, Warriors fans have had nothing else to do in the extended offseason than speculate as to which personnel moves they’d like the team to execute. With a potential first overall pick, full mid-level exception, and 17.2 million dollar trade exception to boot, the Dubs are loaded with assets to improve their roster. That being said, the Warriors need to play this offseason carefully, shooting a balance between investing in young talent and maximizing their championship window. To find the best way to do this, let’s evaluate the positions the Warriors need to invest in, from least to most pressing area of need. 

#5: Power Forward

Rostered: Draymond Green, Eric Paschall

With both a three-time all star and one of the league’s premier rookies at the power forward spot, the Warriors should mobilize most of their assets elsewhere. Though Green often looked disengaged without his veteran teammates on the floor, he too is a candidate for a rejuvenated 2020-2021 season. He’ll be well rested having only played 43 games this year, by far the lowest in his career. In his absence, Paschall emerged as one of the league’s rising stars, dropping multiple 30+ point performances against NBA starters. Now that he gets to settle into a consistent role as the Dubs’ sixth man, expect him to feast against the bench players of the league. The Warriors may need to take on another power forward for the sake of depth, but expect that player only to log major minutes in case of injury. 

#4: Shooting Guard

Rostered: Klay Thompson, Damion Lee, Mychal Mulder

Though last season’s accomplishments for the Warriors were few and far between, they managed to subtly piece together an impressive amount of depth at the shooting guard position. Thompson is the obvious starter here, but Damion Lee was one of the Warriors’ few bright spots in the Splash Brothers’ absence. Putting up career-highs in every major category, Lee surprised fans with his ability to crash the boards, defend, and move offball. For his part, Mulder projects to be the Warriors’ nuclear option off the bench. Though the Canadian struggled in his bouts against both LA teams, it’s clear that he’s the best shooter on the team not named Stephen or Klay. Taking away his two games against the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers, Mulder shot a scorching 16 of 30 from three–53%! Though the Warriors don’t need to add to this position, it’s possible they swing for a defensive specialist or take a bet on the shooting guard talent in this year’s draft.

#3: Center

Rostered: Marquese Chriss, Kevon Looney, Alen Smailagic

The center position was a mixed bag for the Dubs last year. There were success stories, most notably Marquese Chriss capitalizing on a training camp invite to revitalize his career and earn the starting job over the back half of the season. However, the vast majority of the Warriors’ center experiments failed. Kevon Looney was hobbled, never fully recovering from his neuropathy issues. Alen Smailagic was fun to watch, but is clearly a couple years away from being a consistent player. Fans still aren’t sure whether the Warriors started Willie Cauley-Stein or a seven-foot martian who had just learned of the game of basketball an hour before tipoff. While Chriss should slot in nicely with the Warriors’ core players, the front office should prioritize finding another center to complement him–preferably one with more size, defensive ability, and big game experience.

#2: Point Guard

Rostered: Steph Curry, Ky Bowman, Jordan Poole

At first, it may seem puzzling to have the point guard spot ranked this high, especially considering the Warriors have some guy named Stephen Curry about to return from injury. However, one of the major reasons the Dubs were able to beat down on the West for years was the plethora of ball handlers they could employ with Curry on the bench. With D’Angelo Russell, Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, and Kevin Durant all removed from the roster, the front office needs to get to work addressing the lack of playmakers on the roster. The best place to do this is at point guard. While Bowman and Poole improved over the course of last season, they were both subpar defensively and shot a combined 28.7% from three-point land. Look for the Warriors to target multiple point guards this offseason, whether in trades, through free agency, or in the draft.

#1: Small Forward

Rostered: Andrew Wiggins, Juan Toscano-Anderson

While Wiggins looked like a good fit in the games he played in a Warriors uniform, it’s still unsettling how much the Warriors will be leaning on him to succeed. Though he’s a high-volume scorer, his career 33.2% three-point percentage and underwhelming defense could hamper the team on both ends of the court. Should the Dubs need to look elsewhere, Toscano-Anderson proved that he belonged in the NBA last season, displaying impressive defense against the likes of Tobias Harris, Zion Williamson, and Lebron James. That being said, the East Oakland native’s inability to produce in the half-court setting means he shouldn’t be looked at as more than a third-string option. As those two are the Warriors only rostered wing options, they should at least be looking to sign a player who can reliably play backup minutes, and at most look to bring in someone to compete with Wiggins for starting minutes. Look for the Warriors to get splashy at small forward–this is the most likely position for them to employ their 17.2 million dollar trade exception, meaning Maple Jordan might not be the only big name small forward for the Dubs heading into next season.

This year’s offseason carries an immense amount of pressure for the Warriors front office. Their three best players are all over thirty, and with the amount of money already being spent on their core it’s doubtful that Bob Meyers and co. will have this many assets to work with in the years to come. However, the Warriors are used to making big moves in the offseason, and if their streak of bringing in big-name free agents continues, the Dubs could enter next season looking like a dynasty once again. 

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