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The most ballyhooed lineup in the NBA barely got on the floor last season as the Larry O'Brien Trophy hung in the balance, notching just 10 total minutes in the NBA Finals. Should the Golden State Warriors play deep into the playoffs once again, though, don't be surprised if their five-man pool party gets a lot more court time when it matters most.
Addressing the viability of the three-guard lineup featuring he, Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green in 2022-23, Stephen Curry explained why that group is poised to have more staying power now than it did during last year's title run.
“I think the fact that we have Klay to start the year—I know he's still on a minutes restriction so we don't have everybody fully available—but he didn't show up until January last year, and then Draymond was hurt for awhile,” Curry said. “So we didn't really have a lot of time to rep that [lineup] out during the regular season, and then you kinda just showcase it in the playoffs and it worked for a little bit and then there was some struggles, then we figured it out. Knowing that we have so many guys to throw out there, that lineup will be one that you can go to pretty regularly.”
Steve Kerr and the Warriors praised their depth en masse after Tuesday's season-opening win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Golden State truly goes 11 deep this season, with countless options to mix and match lineups depending on injuries, load management, quality of competition, who has the hot hand and circumstances of time and score.
Just like the famed “death lineup” of dynastic yore, though, the Warriors' ‘Poole party' unit risks sacrificing defense for offense. The biggest difference between them? Instead of Curry, Thompson, Green and Harrison Barnes or Kevin Durant playing with a defensive maven like Andre Iguodala, Poole is inserted next to Golden State's core four starters, leaving Kerr's team down one game-changing, position-less defender.
The Warriors believe Poole has what it takes to improve on that side of the ball. Kerr mentioned before the opener he wants to play Poole more this spring than he did during last year's playoffs, but putting him on the floor with Curry gives elite offenses two clear points of leverage, making Golden State more susceptible to springing leaks in help defense. There's no predicting how the ‘Poole party' quintet holds up under the postseason microscope until we get there.
Rest assured, though, that the Warriors will be deploying it throughout the 82-game grind.
“We all complement each other well. You can get stops, you can push in transition and play fast, and the spacing's crazy,” Curry said of the three-guard lineup. “It's a good look.”
