Struggling Warriors face tough lineup decisions
The Warriors (8-10) dynasty appears to be reaching its end and the team can either sit idly by or make the tough decisions necessary to compete for another championship.
There are lots of reasons for the Warriors' struggles this season – Draymond Green's five-game suspension for putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock and Andrew Wiggins' (12.8 points, 26.7% three-point shooting) struggles are two reasons.
Another is Klay Thompson's poor play.
Thompson is averaging 15.3 points, down from his career average of 19.7. His shooting numbers are an even bigger concern. His career averages of 45.4% from the field and 41.5% from three-point range have tumbled to 40.4% from the field and 36.4% from three-point range.
Thompson is a future Hall of Fame player and with the injuries (ACL tear, Achilles tear) he has suffered in recent years, a decline is not unexpected at the age of 33. The larger issue is his unwillingness to accept he is no longer an All-Star caliber player.
Russell Westbrook recently offered to come off the bench to help the Los Angeles Clippers and the same sacrifice from Thompson would help the Warriors.
The three lowest net ratings (point differential per 100 possessions) on the Warriors belong to Wiggins, Green and Thompson. The team's starters as a unit are 22nd in the NBA net rating (-2.4).
Meanwhile, the Warriors' bench ranks fifth in net rating (2.8) among bench units.
Swapping Thompson for Moses Moody or Jonathan Kuminga would not affect the bench's success and could turn around the starting unit.
Against the Kings on Tuesday, head coach Steve Kerr received criticism for taking Moody – who was 4-for-4 from the field with 11 points, all in the fourth quarter – out of the game in favor of Wiggins.
Starting Moody would make it easier for Kerr to raise his minutes while also allowing the coach to close games with his trusted veterans.
Playing off the bench could help Thompson's game, too. He would form a lethal guard tandem with Chris Paul capable of obliterating opposing benches. Against lesser competition, Thompson could regain the shooting confidence needed to be an elite NBA shooter.
If the Warriors do not start turning their season around, Kerr will have no choice but to make changes. Their next game comes Thursday against the Clippers (8-9) who have won five of their last seven games.
If the team wishes to stick with the core veterans in the starting lineup who helped the team win four titles, that is understandable. But if they want a fifth, lineup changes are needed.
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