Golden State Warriors Training Camp Preview

Small Forward

Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Starter: Andre Iguodala

Bench: Harrison Barnes

The Warriors are pretty set at small forward with two starting-caliber wingmen on the roster, but strangely enough, this position is also in somewhat of a flux.

Per Diamond Leung of San Jose Mercury News, Kerr is likely to keep the starting lineup the same, but he’s open to exploring different options should the situation present itself.

That said, many have speculated as to whether Barnes, who had an awesome postseason as a rookie followed by a sophomore slump, would be better off as a starter; while such a notion is logical based on Barnes’ lack of success coming off the bench, the fact that any player with high potential could find success when playing with All-Star caliber players certainly acts as the basis for an argument against relegating Iguodala to a sixth man role.

In other words, the argument that “Barnes plays better with the starters” is irrational in that he doesn’t necessarily raise his level of play when he plays alongside All-Star caliber players, but rather it’s the fact he’s playing alongside proven playmakers that ultimately makes Barnes play better than he actually may be.

That’s not a knock on Barnes in any way, but it should be expected that any athletic player with a high basketball IQ could be a successful player when playing with someone like Curry or Iguodala. Iguodala may possibly be able to act as a staple off the bench and the main option in the second unit, but there’s no need to try to equalize the starters with the bench players.

Chances are this idea of starting Barnes in place of Iguodala will gain more traction come training camp.