Golden State Warriors Roundtable: 5 Questions On The Upcoming Season

2. Is the Warriors’ bench better or worse this year?

Mar 11, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors small forward Harrison Barnes (40) drives in against the New York Knicks during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the New York Knicks 92-63. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Cole Kundich: Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry were nice stories, but they aren’t getting any better. Remember the business side of sports – they were both on contract years, and they got their big contracts. With Barnes or Thompson as the 6th man, the defensive presence of Toney Douglass, getting younger with Maureese Speights, second year player Draymond Green, and the wild card of Nemanja Nedovic, this Warriors bench is stronger.

Tej Kamaraju: Definitely worse. There’s no comparison to Landry and Jack. Honestly, these two were both worth mentioning in the Sixth man contest last year. The Warriors may have someone like Klay Thompson coming off the bench, but that’s their only solid reinforcement. O’Neal is old, Speights is a shooter, and Douglas is very inconsistent. They’re might be a couple of days where the Warriors look deep out there, but their success this season is going to be largely attributed to the core. For a regular team, however, Douglas, Speights, and O’Neal are all solid bench player. Better than last year for the Warriors? Hell no!

Jonathan Asaad: It is probable that the Warriors’ bench improves from last season despite the fact that Jack will no longer be checking in midway through the first quarter. His replacement will be Tony Douglass, an adequate defender and three-point shooter. In addition, Klay Thompson or Harrison Barnes will also be wearing their pregame warm ups during the opening tip, both of whom are feasible 6th man of the year award contenders. Although Carl Landry will be tougher to replace than Jack, both Marreese Speights and Jermaine O’neal can help mitigate his absence, especially with a healthy Andrew Bogut and David Lee. Providing solid minutes off the bench is something they will certainly be able to accomplish.

Maggie Pilloton: It’s hard to tell right now, but I think the bench will be better this season. It’s hard to replace Jack’s clutch play and scoring ability off the bench. However, since the Warriors’ starting lineup has improved with the addition of Iguodala, Harrison Barnes or Klay Thompson will have to come off the bench, which will immediately bolster the bench. The bench last season was full of inexperienced rookies, and, although there are some rookies this season, the bench is generally more experienced now, which will come in handy later in the season.