Golden State Warriors: Is the “Death Lineup” officially dead?

The Golden State Warriors lost two key pieces of their famed “Death Lineup” this offseason. But do these changes signal the end of the “Death Lineup” era?

The Golden State Warriors experienced many changes this offseason — both from a roster perspective and from a team image perspective.

The departures of Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala among others signal a changing of the guards of sorts in Golden State. While the likes of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and eventually Klay Thompson will take the floor next season, others will have to step up and replace the departed.

But not only will these changes affect the team from a pure talent point of view. The Warriors will also have to manage their new rotations and head coach Steve Kerr will have his hands full managing the new players on the roster.

And one aspect of the team that could be changed — or rather scrapped entirely — is the famed “Death Lineup.”

Whether talking about the original core that included Harrison Barnes or the “Hamptons Five” variation in which Durant was involved, the “Death Lineup” has been a staple of the Warriors team for around half a decade now.

The idea was simple. Kerr would have the Warriors play small-ball with each of the team’s five best players taking the floor in an attempt to create mismatches.

Mismatches on the offensive side of the floor and mismatches on defense.

All five were above-average shooters, excellent playmakers, and solid ball-handlers on offense. And each of the five had the athleticism and length to switch effectively on defense while guarding different positions.

They weren’t the first to play small-ball, but the Warriors executed it to near perfection.

Barnes was flawlessly replaced by Durant but with the former league MVP making his way to Brooklyn and longtime rotational centerpiece Iguodala on his way to Memphis, has the “Death Lineup” officially met its demise?

Well, according to Wikipedia yes it has.

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Wikipedia actually refers to the “Death Lineup” in the past tense and states that it ended with the departures of both Durant and Iguodala this offseason. And yes this is the only time we’ve ever linked Wikipedia in an article to our knowledge.

So are they right?

The concept of playing small-ball may not be dead, but the idea that the Warriors will be doing so with their five best players likely is. Outside of Curry, Thompson, Green, and the newly-acquired D’Angelo Russell, the fifth-best player on the roster is likely either Kevon Looney or Willie Cauley-Stein.

But neither is a viable fit for the new “Death Lineup.” First of all, playing either would shift Green back to power forward defeating the whole purpose of the lineup, to begin with. On top of that, neither offers much as an outside shooter thus eliminating them.

The most likely replacement would then have to be Alfonzo McKinnie. At 6-foot-8, McKinnie has the size to play the four with Curry, Russell, and Thompson manning the one, two, and three respectively.

However, McKinnie isn’t nearly the defender or ball-handler that Iguodala was. The 26-year-old was abused on defense in the postseason and struggled with turnovers throughout the season.

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On paper, McKinnie has the size and moderate shooting success to be considered for the role. But his subpar basketball IQ, lackluster defense, and ineffective playmaking make him a very poor man’s Iguodala in this case.

Perhaps we could see someone like rookie Eric Paschall step up and fill the role. He has the size, versatility, and athleticism to make it work but obviously remains wholly unproven.

Others such as Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III are simply too short to play the four even if they have the shooting ability to make it work.

At the end of the day, perhaps Wikipedia is right. Barring any major developments with the current roster, the Warriors “Death Lineup” could officially be — well — dead.

McKinnie seems like the most obvious fit for the role but he has limited experience playing power forward and could get exposed on defense. Perhaps we could see someone like Paschall or even the newly-acquired Omari Spellman step up and fill the role.

But as of now, most of what has defined the “Death Lineup” throughout its existence simply doesn’t seem possible to construct with the current roster.

The “Death Lineup” concept may not be dead, but it will likely be a watered-down version of itself if anything going forward. That is unless we see a fifth member emerge from the pack.