The Golden State Warriors have quickly jumped out to a 6-3 start. Chris Paul has seemingly fit in very well, and the team seems to be gelling nicely. However, there’s one problem with the roster that’s highly apparent through their first nine games, and it’s exactly what everyone expected. They’re too small.
The Glaring Issue with the Golden State Warriors
CLEAN UP pic.twitter.com/CLJqhrrsb0
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) November 9, 2023
Matchup Nightmares
As of today, Dario Saric is the tallest player on the roster at 6-foot-10. In the past week, Golden State has found itself matched up with the likes of a Cavaliers team that boasts Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, and the Nuggets with Nikola Jokic. Allen is listed at 6-foot-9, but is highly athletic and a constant lob threat, while Mobley is the same, only at 6-11. Jokic, also 6-11, is widely regarded as the league’s best player.
While Warriors fans know and love Kevon Looney, he may have one of the most grind-it-out jobs in the NBA. Night in and night out, he stands at just 6-9 and goes up against guys like Jokic, Mobley, Joel Embiid, Bam Adebayo, and eventually Victor Wembanyama.
Looney and Saric are by no means freak athletes. Draymond Green is one of the league’s premier defenders, but he’s only 6-foot-6. With the way the league is shaped now, the small ball may not work as well, especially against teams with two bigs, or a big and an athletic forward. Teams like Denver, with Jokic and Aaron Gordon; Cleveland, with Mobley and Allen; or the Lakers, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis will give the Warriors problems with their size.
A New Era
Sure, it’s worked in the past. After Andrew Bogut, Zaza Pachulia was enough at the center position because of the greatness of the four starters. In 2022, Golden State overcame the size disparity against Boston due mostly to the greatness of Stephen Curry and a phenomenal postseason from Andrew Wiggins.
Since then, the league has changed; players have evolved. Despite winning back-to-back MVPs during that time, Jokic has elevated his game to another level, becoming a champion and an efficiency master. Embiid has become an MVP. Wembanyama is seen as both the present and future of the NBA. All these guys and more have become the prototype for success as the game begins to revolve around ultra-skilled bigs.
Adjustments to be Made
There’s really not much the Warriors can do to address this issue outside of bringing in a new face. There was talk over the summer of them bringing in Dwight Howard, but it quickly flamed out. It doesn’t have to be somebody that plays every night, because Golden State obviously likes their system. But bringing in a big, physical center that can bring some energy and defensive effort to match up with the big stars of the league would be helpful.
The organization seems to be very high on Trayce Jackson-Davis, who is only 6-foot-9, but very athletic. He showed flashes in the preseason of guarding elite bigs when matched up with Domantas Sabonis.
While Golden State may be able to thrive when not consistently facing these matchups, eventually they will. The road to a title will force them to play the Nuggets, Lakers or another big-centric team at some point. Time will tell if they decide to add some size, or if they think they have everything necessary to win it all once again.
