When four of the premier talents in the NBA all play for one team, it is pretty difficult to find any lineup combinations among them that aren’t successful. Whether Draymond Green plays more of his minutes with Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant, the Warriors are still probably going to beat your favorite team. The probability that they beat them and how much they beat them by can hinge on these decisions, however. For example, if the Warriors play some of their weaker combinations and don’t get a big lead early, there is a better than decent chance that Draymond gets himself a technical foul, which also increases the chance he gets another one too and winds up thrown out of the game. That’s not conjecture, that’s science; and at that point, your favorite team might actually have a chance to pull off a courageous seven-point loss.
There is a total of 15 different lineup combinations that can be created using Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson. Analyzing each one of these different combinations can help in determining which players complement each other the best, what the Warriors’ optimal rotation should be, how opposing teams can best strategize against each combination, and what the overall value of each player is to the Warriors. So, without further ado, here are the best lineup combinations among the Warriors’ core four, ranked one through 15 by Net Rating.
*Note: If one of the four players is not included in the combination, it means that they are off the court at the time. For example, Curry/Durant refers to the times when Durant and Curry are on the court while Draymond and Klay sit.
- Curry/Durant/Green/Thompson: +22.6 NETRTG, 120.8 OFFRTG, 98.2 DEFRTG, 74.6 AST%, 53.4 REB%, 60.0 eFG%, 63.9 TS%, 104.92 PACE in 955 MIN
Unsurprisingly, the Warriors are at their best when all of their superstars are sharing the court together. The fact that Golden State has four superstars is crazy enough, the fact that those four superstars all have skillsets that perfectly complement each other makes them unstoppable when those four share the floor. Their defensive flexibility and man-to-man defense makes them impossible to score on. While their unbelievable shooting, constant off-ball action, and absurd passing ability to the tune of a 74.6 AST% make them impossible to stop as well.
For reference, here is how this combination fares with some different players in that 5th spot of the lineup:
Zaza Pachulia: +23.1 NETRTG in 532 MIN
Andre Iguodala: +23.9 NETRTG in 224 MIN
JaVale McGee: +32.1 NETRTG in 126 MIN
At the end of the day, I’m not really sure it matters who you plug into that 5th spot. You could throw Joey Crawford, Riley Curry, or hell, maybe even Anthony Bennett in there, and the team is still going to dominate.
- Curry/Durant/Thompson: +18.1 NETRTG, 124.2 OFFRTG, 106.2 DEFRTG, 64.4 AST%, 52.5 REB%, 62.3 eFG%, 65.8 TS%, 108.68 PACE in 172 MIN
When this combination is on the floor, get ready for some fireworks. They play at a scorching pace, and feast in transition. It is the best offensive combination on this list with an OFFRTG of 124.2. The Warriors have a True Shooting Percentage of 65.8% with this combination, which is essentially like getting an open Steph Curry three pointer (157/359, 65.7 TS%) where the defender is 4-6 feet away, every trip down the floor. It’s actually one of the worst defensive combinations on the list, but the insane offense it produces makes it the second-best overall Warriors combination.
- Curry/Durant: +16.6 NETRTG, 120.8 OFFRTG, 104.2 DEFRTG, 64.4 AST%, 50.9 REB%, 57.3 eFG%, 61.7 TS%, 104.38 PACE in 213 MIN
The first two-man combination on this list is of course, Curry and Durant. One could make the case that these are two of the best three players on the planet, and the Warriors certainly play like it when they’re out on the floor together, even when Draymond and Klay are sitting.
- Curry/Green: +16.5 NETRTG, 112.5 OFFRTG, 96.0 DEFRTG, 69.5 AST%, 53.2 REB%, 55.8 eFG%, 59.1 TS%, 104.32 PACE in 362 MIN
This combination gets the third most minutes on the list. It’s not hard to see why either, as Curry and Draymond’s chemistry goes back a few years now. While the Curry+Dray pick-and-roll will always be effective offensively, this combo, like all of the two-man combos involving Draymond, makes its presence felt on the defensive end, with a 96.0 DEFRTG. It’s pretty crazy to think about how, even when a lot of their firepower is missing, this team has the ability to just completely lock in and frustrate you on the defensive end.
- Curry/Thompson: +15.4 NETRTG, 117.5 OFFRTG, 102.1 DEFRTG, 66.0 AST%, 47.2 REB%, 58.6 eFG%, 60.9 TS%, 105.77 PACE in 104 MIN
The Splash Brothers round out the top 5. Now that CP3 has joined Harden in Houston, I’m sure folks like Colin Cowherd and Skip Bayless are licking their chops at the “Best backcourt in the NBA” debates that are about to ensue. Well, even without Durant and Draymond on the floor, the Splash Brothers made the Warriors pretty much unstoppable when they were out there together.
- Durant/Green: +14.7 NETRTG, 110.5 OFFRTG, 95.8 DEFRTG, 82.6 AST%, 57.1 REB%, 49.0 eFG%, 54.3 TS%, 94.19 PACE in 32 MIN
It’s hard to put too much credence into these numbers as this combination has the smallest sample size on the list with just 32 minutes. That being said, I’m sure the length and defensive versatility would make this lineup pretty difficult to score against no matter who you played them with and how many minutes you played them. Perhaps this is a combo Steve Kerr could try out a little bit more next season
- Curry/Green/Thompson: +13.7 NETRTG, 117.7 OFFRTG, 104.0 DEFRTG, 75.2 AST%, 49.4 REB%, 58.3 eFG%, 61.1 TS%, 104.10 PACE in 542 MIN
Don’t you yearn for the days when this was the scariest combo on the Warriors? This combination that carried the Warriors to a record-breaking 73 wins is now pretty much an afterthought as it ranks as just the 7th best combination on the list. Don’t be fooled however, that still means it has an absurd +13.7 NETRTG. With three years of running Kerr’s system now, it’s clear that these three have perfected it, with a 75.2 AST% when playing together. As 2015 and 2016 made clear, even if KD wasn’t with the Warriors, they would have no trouble scoring the basketball.
- Just Curry: +9.1 NETRTG, 110.8 OFFRTG, 101.8 DEFRTG, 60.6 AST%, 51.8 REB%, 55.8 eFG%, 59.4 TS%, 104.38 PACE in 105 MIN
In the 105 minutes Stephen Curry played without Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson this season, the Warriors outscored their opponents by more points per possession than the Spurs, who are the second-best team in the NBA, did all season long. That is preposterous to think about. They didn’t exactly play Warriors basketball in these stretches, with a modest (for them) 60.6 AST%, but Curry seemed just fine fending for himself. When any of the other four were forced to play by themselves, the team really struggled, but Curry had zero issue putting the team on his back. 7 of the top 8 combinations on this list include Curry, the only one that didn’t is pretty much irrelevant because it logged just 32 minutes. Only 1 of the bottom 7 combinations include Curry. As incredibly talented a basketball player as Kevin Durant is, Steph Curry is still the Warriors most important player. The gravity is real, people.
- Green/Thompson: +8.7 NETRTG, 101.4 OFFRTG, 92.7 DEFRTG, 78.0 AST%, 47.5 REB%, 49.8 eFG%, 53.6 TS%, 93.75 PACE in 283 MIN
Many people figured that Kerr would stagger Durant’s and Curry’s minutes this season so that one of them was always on the floor. That didn’t quite happen though as the Draymond and Klay combo played together a lot this season without Durant or Curry. They really helped stabilize the early portions of the second and fourth quarters for the Dubs. The Warriors played a very different style of basketball than we are used to seeing from them during these stretches, slowing down to a lethargic pace of 93.75, which is pretty much on par with the Utah Jazz. If you think it’s hard to score on Klay and Draymond when they’re running in transition, imagine how difficult it would be if they slowed the pace down. Opposing teams found out exactly how hard it would be, as they scored just 92.7 points per 100 possessions in those stretches.
- Durant/Thompson: +7.7 NETRTG, 108.9 OFFRTG, 101.2 DEFRTG, 64.3 AST%, 50.1 REB%, 56.5 eFG%, 59.2 TS%, 98.28 PACE in 345 MIN
For as much as the Durant/Klay combo played together this season (345 minutes), it didn’t lead to quite the results you think that it would have. A +7.7 net rating is certainly nothing to scoff at, but given the firepower of some of these other two-man combinations, perhaps Kerr should reconsider how he allocates those minutes.
- Durant/Green/Thompson: +6.7 NETRTG, 108.7 OFFRTG, 102.1 DEFRTG, 72.6 AST%, 45.5 REB%, 50.0 eFG%, 55.4 TS%, 102.49 PACE in 76 MIN
Perhaps it’s a little surprising to see a 3-man combo this low, but perhaps not, since Curry is not a part of it. It’s hard to interpret too much from just 76 minutes of action however.
- Curry/Durant/Green: +5.8 NETRTG, 110.9 OFFRTG, 105.2 DEFRTG, 67.9 AST%, 45.7 REB%, 56.5 eFG%, 60.3 TS%, 108.74 PACE in 185 MIN
This was probably the most confounding combination on the list. A 3-man combination that includes both Curry and Durant in a somewhat significant chunk of minutes, and it winds up being the lowest 2+ player combination on the list. That is truly shocking. The team seems to really struggle rebounding and defending in these instances. They play at a very fast pace and don’t capitalize to the fullest extent, whereas their opposition seems to make the most of their transition opportunities. It is potentially just a case of missing shots they’d normally hit in those circumstances, as when the Warriors normally play at a pace that high, they tend to do much better offensively.
- Just Durant: -2.8 NETRTG, 107.5 OFFRTG, 110.3 DEFRTG, 71.1 AST%, 43.8 REB%, 55.4 eFG%, 58.0 TS%, 96.27 PACE in 92 MIN
The actual hardest road for Durant doesn’t look quite as tempting as the one he chose. When Durant is out there all by his lonesome, the Warriors really struggle to stop the opposition from scoring. Unsurprisingly, the Warriors still manage to score relatively well, as Durant is one of the best 1-on-1 players in the world.
- Just Thompson: -7.2 NETRTG, 104.4 OFFRTG, 111.6 DEFRTG, 70.6 AST%, 43.8 REB%, 55.0 eFG%, 57.2 TS%, 94.50 PACE in 170 MIN
Just a couple of weeks ago, all of China witnessed what happens to Klay Thompson when you leave him on his own. The results weren’t much different for the Warriors in North America this year. The team actually seems to go to this lineup from time to time, and it doesn’t work out very well. They play at an extraordinarily slow pace and still can’t defend or rebound to save their lives. If Klay ever decides he wants to go be the number 1 option on a different team, the Warriors might want to show him these numbers.
- Just Green: -13.5 NETRTG, 88.7 OFFRTG, 102.3 DEFRTG, 92.0 AST%, 46.7 REB%, 46.8 eFG%, 49.7 TS%, 101.75 PACE in 36 MIN
There’s only about 36 minutes worth of data here, but the numbers do tell us something that probably is obvious to most basketball fans. Unless the NBA starts awarding 4 points for nut shots, Draymond Green will never be capable of single-handedly leading an offense to success. That’s not to say he’s not an excellent offensive player, because he is. He sets great screens, is a terrific passer and a pretty good ball handler for his size. He is just most valuable in a complementary role where he is utilizing those skill sets to help star players get open.
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