The Warriors have found a new lineup that’s putting up unprecedented numbers
Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, and Stephen Curry
© Cary Edmondson - USA TODAY Sports
Call it the "death lineup," the "Decathlon five," "3G (three-guard) lineup," or even the "The Splash lineup," but whatever it may be, the Golden State Warriors have found a deadly-five man lineup that's willed them to victory and putting up unprecedented numbers so far in the Playoffs.
The five-man rotation consists of a rising star in Jordan Poole, the best bench player in the playoffs Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green that's looking scarier for opposing teams each game.
To give a glimpse of how scary the Warriors' new-found lineup is, consider this. In 11 minutes they've played on the court so far, this small-ball version of a lineup is averaging an offensive rating of 204.3, a defensive rating of -75.0 (!), has a net rating of 129.3 and is plus 29 thus far. In short, this is by far the best version we've seen from the Golden State Warriors since Kevin Durant's departure in 2019.
What makes this lineup so spooky?
The emergence of Poole, who has been nothing but spectacular, scoring 59 points combined in two games.
The brilliance of Curry, who may have started both games from the bench but is still shooting lights out and put up a phenomenal 34 points in 22 minutes in Game 2.
The resurgence of Thompson, who may have finally found his groove in the past two weeks. He has made 29 out of his last 59 three-point attempts (49%) in his previous five games.
The defensive and play-making powers of Green, who has done a remarkable job locking up reigning MVP Nikola Jokic
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And finally, the unnoticed two-way contributions from Wiggins, who grabbed 17 rebounds in the past two games.
Granted, the Warriors are facing an incomplete and what looks like a defeated Denver Nuggets team, but the potential of this lineup can't be ignored.
Is it as deadly as the Warriors' "best team of all time" lineup? Probably not. But this five-man rotation that GSW now employs is fast, powerful, and can outwork their opponents on both ends of the floor.
The credit goes to Poole's development this season and how he has become a lethal scoring threat this year. Gone are the days when the Warriors suffer when Curry sits on the bench because right now, they have a motivated Thompson, Green, and Wiggins who continue to remind the world that the Golden State Warriors' era is not over, after all.
The Warriors will build on this.
Golden State operates with superior ball movement, pressure defense, and garnering high quality-shots on offense. This lineup can easily produce all of those, especially with how Poole, Curry, and Thompson are scoring right now.
On the defensive end, it's hard to take advantage of any of their guards because of how well they all rotate and the fact that there's always a looming Green on the frontcourt.
It will be interesting to see how well this new-found lineup works for Golden State moving forward. Given the small sample size, it's hard to judge right now, but it should be the Warriors' biggest weapon when they possibly go up against the elite Pheonix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies, or even Dallas Mavericks.
Ultimately, the Warriors and their fans should be delighted to see this five-person rotation work wonders because they might have just found their most potent weapon that will take a lot for opposing teams to stop.
So, grab your popcorn, everybody! The Warriors might just be a nightmare for everyone this year.
