Golden State Warriors: Predicting the Backup Player at Each Position Next Season

Going into the offseason, there have been many questions for the Golden State Warriors. For example, re-signing Jarrett Jack should be a main priority for them, but if they do re-sign him, then they won’t be able to sign Carl Landry, who was also an integral part of their system.

Still, their roster is going to be deep next season, and they’re not going to lose their flow.

The Warriors are a great young team with a lot of depth, something that they’ve been searching for for the past decade. Now, however, they have the depth and they know what they’re doing.

Which players are going to stay with them and continue to play off the bench, and which players are going to leave, and start somewhere else?

May 16, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Jarrett Jack (2) acknowledges the crowd after game six of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena. The Spurs defeated the Warriors 94-82. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

1. Point Guard: Jarrett Jack:

Without a doubt, Stephen Curry is going to be a long-time Warrior. He justified this when he said that he wanted to retire with the time, and that’s a long way off.

The starting point guard is set, but the Warriors need some ankle insurance. This is where Jack comes into play. Jack is the best backup point guard that the Warriors could have asked for. He’s a scorer, a ball-handler, and he’s really helped the Warriors in instant offense.

The number one priority is to re-sign him, and Jack, as he was sobbing, said that he was proud to be a Warrior at the end of the season.

I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a pretty good reason to assume that he’s going to lean towards re-signing with the Warriors. He’s likely going to be back next year.

2. Shooting Guard: Kent Bazemore:

If there’s anything we learned from the Warriors, it’s that undrafted rookies always make a splash, whether it’s cheer-leading or surpassing all expectations. Whenever Mark Jackson put Bazemore in the game, he would give the old razzle-dazzle, make 3-pointers easily, and finish fancy and acrobatic reverse layups. It was garbage time that he was in, but it’s still NBA minutes.

Considering how good Bazemore is at playing defense, the Warriors are lucky to have him as he’s going to be very good. It definitely didn’t show in his first season, but if you really watched the Warrior games, he was playing pretty well for the short time that he got.

There’s a reason the Warriors haven’t dumped him yet. He may actually step into a pretty significant role next season. Unless, of course, the Warriors get a more valuable acquisition from the draft, or free agency, but there’s no way to predict that.

3. Small Forward: Brandon Rush:

Mar 16, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors shooting guard Brandon Rush (4) during a stoppage in play against the Milwaukee Bucks during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Milwaukee defeated Golden State 120-98. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-USA TODAY Sports

“Oh yeah!” That’s right, folks! Brandon Rush is set for training camp and is going to be playing at the start of the 2013-2014 season.

This is great news for everyone because Rush pretty much does it all. From instant offense, to 3-pointers, to high-flying dunks, Rush is one of the best Bench players in the NBA. With a young talent like Harrison Barnes in front of him, the Warriors will be able to throw daggers at each team in the small forward spot.

4. Power Forward: DeJuan Blair:

Blair isn’t exactly a dream acquisition if free agency, but he’s definitely someone that the Warriors can afford.

With the probable departure of Carl Landry, the Warriors are looking at no backup power forwards, and will have to go with an extremely small lineup.

The “Barnes at power forward lineup” worked pretty well for the Warriors, but against the Nuggets, it was adequate only because the Wilson Chandler, a shooting guard, was starting at power forward.

The Warriors need options, and although Blair isn’t a big-time scorer, he sure knows how to rebound the basketball.

5. Center: Andris Biedrins:

Remember Festus Ezeli?

March 13, 2012; Sacramento, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors center Andris Biedrins (15) on the bench against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Power Balance Pavilion. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Sacramento Kings 115-89. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

He showed some big improvements towards the end of the season, but failed to peak in the playoffs like fellow rookies Draymond Green and Barnes. Still, all he has to do is be able to catch a ball, and he’ll be a more than adequate backup center to Andrew Bogut. Unfortunately, he was injured and required surgery to

fix the problem in his knee. He has been ruled out for 6-9 months.

This leaves the role to none other than Andris Biedrins! Yes, this is the guy that got a standing ovation from the whole crowd in Game 4 against the San Antonio Spurs. He still has a lot of potential as a defender. If he would just learn how to shoot free throws, he would get his career back on track. For now, however, he’s looking at his last season in the NBA.