Golden State Warriors (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
The Golden State Warriors let a few of their key bench players walk last season, has it affected them so far this year?
For most of the decade, the Golden State Warriors have had one of the best bench squads in the league. The extra push off the bench has been a huge reason for the Warriors success and a key component to their “Strength in Numbers” motto.
Notable names such as Jarrett Jack, David Lee, Andre Iguodala, Mareese Speights, Leandro Barbosa, Shaun Livingston, JaVale McGee and even Draymond Green helped make the Warriors second unit one of the best in the league. In fact, Iguodala even became the first sixth man in NBA history to win the Finals MVP award in 2015.
However, the Warriors emphasis on stacking the roster with talented role players has been reduced. Instead, the Dubs have been leaning more towards a short rotation filled with star-studded players.
The addition of Kevin Durant was the first indication of this movement. Since then, a few key role players have either left the team or grown older and less effective on the court. Furthermore, the signing of DeMarcus Cousins further pushed the narrative that Golden State was becoming top heavy.
Today, we will look through the past few years and examine how the Warriors bench as evolved.
