The glaring problem that could cost Warriors a title

The Golden State Warriors (6-2) are off to a good start, especially compared to drama-filled beginning of last season. For only the fourth time in franchise history, the Warriors started the season 4-0 on the road — a great sign considering in 2022-23, they won only 11 road games all season. 

With the exception of an off game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night, the Chris Paul experiment is working and contributing to 35-year-old Stephen Curry playing some of the best basketball of his career.

However, there is one significant issue that could prevent Golden State from winning another championship. 

The Warriors are too small. 

There is no sugarcoating how tiny the Warriors are. In multiple close games, head coach Steve Kerr has played three- or four-guard lineups consistently with the 6-foot-6 Draymond Green at center. As great as Green is defensively, he isn't enough to compensate for Golden State's significant disadvantage on the glass and in the paint. Against teams such as the Cavs, who have a huge size advantage over the Warriors, these lineups do not work. 

"That's a good learning lesson for us in understanding the details of how you need to beat certain teams and making those adjustments," Curry said after the 115-104 loss to Cleveland. 

Does that mean the Warriors won't run four-guard lineups anymore? Probably not.

The Warriors need a backup center behind 6-foot-9 Kevon Looney. Kerr plays 6-foot-10 Dario Saric in that spot, but it's a disaster. He's a good offensive player with a diverse skill set, but he is a terrible defender. Saric has no chance of stopping anybody at the rim, and when he gets switched onto smaller, faster guards, it's just as big of an issue.

Opponents are recognizing this weakness and exploiting it in the fourth quarter and crunch time. So far, Golden State is 24th in fourth-quarter rebounding (9.6) and 28th in opponent points in the paint (14.3). That's a bad sign. 

The Warriors must lean into more defensive and bigger lineups because the small-ball lineups put an enormous strain on Green. 

The simplest solution would be to give rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis, a 6-foot-9 center with excellent hops, an opportunity to be the backup to Looney, mainly when playing against teams that have an overwhelming height advantage.

Kerr, however, doesn't relish giving rookies a consistent role. It has taken him three seasons to finally get 6-foot-7 Jonathan Kuminga and 6-foot-5 Moses Moody into the mix. This situation likely won't be any different. 

Clearly, the Warriors have a dilemma on their hands.