With Brandon Williams and Georges Niang now in the mix, the Golden State Warriors have just about finished filling out their 15-man roster. That leaves Steve Kerr with one last big job before the regular season opens on Oct. 21 against the Los Angeles Lakers: sorting out the rotation and, more specifically, deciding what the starting five will look like.
Steph Curry and Draymond Green feel like constants in whatever group Kerr rolls out first. After that, things get a little murkier.
Golden State still has to sort through a few legitimate lineup questions, starting with the wings and the backcourt. Could the Warriors lean veteran and go with Gui Santos over rookie Yaxel Lendeborg at one of the forward spots?
And who ends up next to Curry in the backcourt?
Brandin Podziemski and De’Anthony Melton are the most obvious candidates there. Podziemski started 43 games last season, while Melton made 24 starts, so either one could plausibly slide into the opening-night lineup with Curry.
The center spot is another swing point. Green could handle it, but Kerr also has veteran options in Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis if he wants to go a different direction.
Here’s how the depth chart could shake out:
At point guard, Curry sits at the top, with Melton, Brandon Williams, Podziemski and Gary Payton II behind him.
At shooting guard, Podziemski projects as the starter, followed by Melton, Brandon Williams, Gary Payton II, Will Richard and LaJae Jones.
At small forward, Lendeborg is the starter in this projection, with Santos, Payton II and Georges Niang in the mix.
At power forward, Santos is first up, with Lendeborg, Porzingis and Niang also listed.
The center spot remains unresolved, and that uncertainty is part of the story as Golden State heads toward camp with most of the roster already set.
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