The Golden State Warriors: A 5-man wrecking crew

Andre Iguodala

So far, Iguodala has been just that player. While his overall stats have fallen across the board, Iguodala has been just the defensive spark and the glue that a young team like the Warriors needed. He has had no small part in helping the Warriors improve to 11th in points allowed per game, and if the numbers are adjusted to fit their pace per hundred possessions, Golden State are actually at fourth place in the league in Defensive Rating. Of course, he’s an occasional contributor on the offensive end too, and a game-winners already this season haven’t hurt.

In a league gone smaller, the Warriors are blessed with two dominant big men who are a near-guarantee to flirt with double-doubles every single night. Power forward David Lee is a two-time All Star, and for all his deficiencies on the defensive end, does enough on offense every single night. Lee is once again putting up around 19 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Andrew Bogut

The man in the middle – Andrew Bogut – completes the five-man army. Although he is not quite as mobile as he used to be in his younger days in Milwaukee, Bogut is still a defensive stalwart, one of the best rim protectors in the league and ranking third in the league in rebounds and fifth in blocks per 36 minutes. He is the last option on offense every time, but he makes up for that with a blistering high field goal percentage. The Bogut and Lee combination has made the Warriors the second-best rebounding team in the league.

Together, Curry, Thompson, Iguodala, Lee and Bogut have been unstoppable, so much so that no five-man unit in the league that has appeared together regularly this season has a better +/- point differential. Fans have responded positively to the Warriors’ starters too, as all five ended up in the top 15 in the All-Star voting among their position group.

But there is more: in Harrison Barnes, the Warriors have one of the finest bench options in the league, a young swingman capable of playing and defending multiple positions and allowing Coach Mark Jackson more diversity and creativity on court. While Barnes’ opportunities have been limited off the bench this season, he offers the Warriors valuable depth, especially for the playoffs.

David Lee

There are still questions marks and uncertainties regarding the rest of Golden State’s bench mob, and the team will need consistent performances from the likes of newly-acquired Jordan Crawford, Marreese Speights, Draymond Green and Jermaine O’Neal (once he returns from injury) to challenge some of the West’s best when the playoffs begin.

The Warriors have other niggling issues to fix too. The team still ranks at the bottom of the league in turnovers – only the struggling 76ers turn the ball over more often. When they face more intense defensive pressure in the post-season, they’ll have to fix their habits if they hope to contend against the likes of the Thunder, Spurs, Clippers, Trailblazers, Rockets, and the lot. The Warriors enjoy a rabid home-base, and between now and the end of the season, should look to sharpen up even further on both ends of the floor to rise up the conference rankings, and secure home-court advantage in the First Round at least.

This is an exciting and likable team who have the gift not many others in the league can boast of: five players with the potential of dominating their position on any given night. Now, they have to turn that potential into consistent reality to turn into surprise championship contenders in the West.