There's a chance the Golden State Warriors look a bit different once the trade deadline finally comes and goes. Leading up to February 8th, though, the Dubs are finally set to give an extended look to the lineup that's broadly considered their best.
Before Tuesday's matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers, Steve Kerr told reporters that Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green would start for the second consecutive game. Even more intriguing? That group seems set to open for Golden State for the foreseeable future.
“We’re going to commit to this lineup, the Wiggs (Andrew Wiggins), JK (Jonathan Kuminga), Draymond, we want to play this combination,” Kerr said. “We got way more transition opportunities the other night, more transition points. I feel like we can match up with perimeter players a little better with that lineup. So we’re going to commit to that. Doesn't mean Draymond won’t play some four, but we do feel like we need to get a good look at this.”
Saturday's heartbreaking double-overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center marked the first time all season the Warriors' “peak” lineup has been on the floor for tipoff. Green's pair of suspensions played a big role in that quintet having barely played together this season, as do Wiggins' career-worst struggles over the first half of 2023-24. Kuminga absolutely thrived recently as Golden State's sixth man, but playing him alongside the core four that led the Dubs to a title barely a year-and-a-half ago always represented this team's highest ceiling.
Entering Tuesday's action, the Warriors' new starting lineup sported a gaudy net rating of +13.1, per pbpstats.com. The problem? Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Kuminga and Green have only played 66 minutes together, the type of small sample size that inevitably lends itself to outlier results.
But there's no doubting Golden State's peak starting five represents the team's best possible collection of on-ball defense, transition prowess, scoring punch, two-way versatility and all-around talent. Needless to say, whether that lineup lives up its eye-opening on-paper ideals and impressive small-sample data could go a long way toward deciding the Dubs' ultimate approach at the trade deadline—not to mention how the rest of a tumultuous season plays out from here.
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