Warriors are still a big man away from being contenders

The Golden State Warriors are 23-7 since acquiring Jimmy Butler at the Feb. 6 trade deadline. They've clawed their way into the playoff picture and are now fighting for the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

Butler has unlocked the Warriors, helping them emerge as a genuine championship contender at the perfect time. However, Golden State still has one significant shortcoming: a lack of size in the middle of the floor.

Outside of Quinten Post, the Warriors don't have much height on the roster. Kevon Looney is a reliable big man but is also undersized, standing at 6-foot-9. As such, Draymond Green has spent 25% of his total playing time operating as a center this season. 

Green is a generational defender. However, his age and lack of size mean that he's better served playing as a power forward rather than anchoring a defense. 

“There’s always time for small ball but their championship teams had positional size,” An Eastern Conference executive told ESPN. “When they won [titles] they had Andrew Bogut, Kevon Looney, Klay [Thompson] and [Kevin] Durant. The ‘death lineup’ with the small ball only played a handful of minutes. I don’t know if this way they’re playing, so small, works. I’ll be impressed if they can run the table this way ... To ask Draymond at his age to [play more at center] is a lot. I won’t be surprised if they go back to Looney more.”

According to Cleaning The Glass, the Warriors are a dominant force when Green plays at the five. In 2,120 possession with Green at center, the Warriors are outscoring opponents by 10.4 points per 100 possessions. With Green at center, the Warriors rank in the 92nd percentile for NetRating. 

Therefore, you can see why head coach Steve Kerr prefers to run his defensive stalwart in the middle of the floor. The results speak for themselves. However, the playoffs are a different brand of basketball. You need size to compete, especially now that so many teams are leaning into double-big rotations with a floor-spacer and rim-runner protecting the paint. 

Golden State knows how to win when playing small. In fact, it has proven it can beat any team in the league. However, as the rest of the NBA continues to go big, the Warriors are being left behind. 

GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. must add a veteran center during the summer. That's the only way the Warriors will be viewed as legitimate contenders in the coming years. Small ball still works, but not without the option of going big.