Golden State Warriors Mailbag: Thompson’s Injury, Bogut, Improvement
Jan 3, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Golden State Warriors small forward Harrison Barnes (40) shows emotion with small forward Andre Iguodala (9) against the Atlanta Hawks in the fourth quarter at Philips Arena. The Warriors defeated the Hawks 101-100. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
@MaggiePilloton Which Warrior needs to step up the most with Klay being out for the next 7-10 days? And who replaces him in the lineup?
— Jamie Faue (@BrickWallJamieF) March 18, 2015
Jamie and Stevie submitted the same question at the same time, so I thought I’d include both of their tweets on this slide.
When it comes to replacing one of the best players on a team (regardless of what sport), it usually requires a true team effort to fully make up for the player’s absence. This will be the case for the Warriors during Thompson’s recovery from his ankle injury. It will not be just one player that will need to step up with Thompson out.
The players that will need to contribute more will be Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala, and Justin Holiday. Those players will most likely see a bump in minutes with Thompson out, and they will be the ones that need to step up.
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Barnes will need to take more shots, which will also put some pressure on Stephen Curry to help create shots for him, as Barnes struggles creating his own shot. Iguodala will also most likely have to be more aggressive on offense, and Holiday will have to look for more shoots and continue to shoot threes.
Steve Kerr has said that he is leaning towards starting Holiday in Thompson’s place, but that’s not official yet. He also said that he might play Curry a little more with Thompson out, but it won’t be a significant increase in minutes.
If Holiday starts in Thompson’s place, that might mean that Leandro Barbosa will need to step up to an extent too, as a backup shooting guard. This suggests that it will truly take a team effort, and even that might not fully “replace” Thompson’s production, as his presence and the threat of him shooting a three can’t necessarily be replicated by one person or at all.
Three-point shooting is certainly a big part of the Warriors’ game plan and is one of their biggest strengths, and that might take a hit with Thompson out. The Warriors could also have trouble replicating Thompson’s elite defense. Holiday is a long, athletic defender, as is Iguodala, so that will help but, again, might not fully make up for what Thompson would provide.
Yes, the Warriors are about to endure a tough stretch of games without their second best player, but resting Thompson will only benefit the Warriors, as they need him healthy come playoff time.
Next: Should the Warriors Rest Bogut More?