Golden State Warriors: Which lineups should the team run without Stephen Curry?
What if the Warriors need to go big?
- PG: D’Angelo Russell
- SG: Jacob Evans
- SF: Eric Paschall
- PF: Omari Spellman/ Draymond Green
- C: Kevon Looney/ Willie Cauley-Stein/ Marquese Chriss
This isn’t something the Warriors often do, but they now have the pieces to make it work. They actually have several options in fact. Cauley-Stein, Chriss, Spellman, Looney, and Green can all play either of the big positions.
Options involving Spellman are slightly more interesting than others because of Spellman’s ability to shoot the ball from long range. Looney can also shoot three-pointers this season but he’s yet to show any real reliability there.
However a big lineup of Russell, Evans, Paschall, Spellman, Looney could be extremely potent if they prove to all be decent shooters.
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The key to all the big lineups is Eric Paschall. He has shown an ability to play the small forward spot. He has enough basketball IQ to be able to make the right plays offensively and can even put the ball on the ground if needed.
The Warriors wouldn’t go to this lineup unless the opposition was beating them down in the paint. The Philadelphia 76ers are the main team that does this at the moment with their lineup of Ben Simmons, Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris, Al Horford, and Joel Embiid.
The Warriors could look to their big lineup against this team to guard against the big men inside.
Russell would have to guard Richardson. Then Evans should guard Harris, and Paschall would be the perfect player to guard Simmons. Spellman could guard Horford, and Looney would be on Embiid.
Defensively, the Warriors superstar would have been so useless against a team like the Sixers that the Warriors will likely be better without Stephen Curry on that end of the floor.
Offensively, the Warriors can space the floor with everybody. Russell can run the offense and do the majority of the playmaking while scoring some points himself too. Russell, Evans, and Paschall can all use screens to find openings for three-pointers or cuts to the rim using Kerr’s system.