Sitting at 8-7, the Warriors are in the middle of a very tight playoff hunt in the West. Recent wins over the Lakers and Spurs make up for last night's loss to the Knicks, but Golden State is in desperate need of better play out of the players on their bench unit. These first 15 games have been an example of how big of a difference players like Klay Thompson and Draymond Green make for an NBA team. The Knicks game showed how they can still be a competitive team in the absence of Thompson but when he and Green are out, Stephen Curry simply don't have enough help.
Andrew Wiggins has shown the ability to control the offense well when Curry is on the bench, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him get more minutes in this situation to make up for the lack of offense when most the starters are on the bench. Maybe one of the wings they have already can step up? Guys like Brad Wanamaker, Damion Lee, and Jordan Poole haven't been able to give consistent minutes off the bench and don't seem to be the answer. Eric Paschall and Kevon Looney are good pieces in the front court but neither are real playmakers offensively. Kent Bazemore can knock down a corner three and provide solid minutes defensively, but isn't the kind of difference maker they're in need of right now. The team is already deep into the luxury tax which makes any deadline deals unlikely. Maybe they can be players in the buyout market once the trade deadline passes and get a significant free agent to sign for the veteran minimum. Getting a solid wing off the bench could be the difference in the Warriors making a serious playoff run this season.
Tyler Valdez
