With the season doomed to watching the NBA Draft Lottery, the Warriors turned their attention to player development. With a roster full of rookies, journeymen and players looking to resurrect their young careers, the front office hoped to find a diamond in the rough to hopefully contribute next season when the team could potentially return to contention.
But they did not find one. Instead they actually found a few, if not more.
In the front court, Eric Paschall has emerged as a potential future foundational piece, sporting an offensive game that combines unique strength to go with mature finesse. Marquese Chriss might end up being the starting center next season as he has blossomed into an impactful young big man.
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In the backcourt, Damion Lee has proven himself to be a high energy, reliable rotation piece that can put up points in a hurry. Jordan Poole has struggled with an inconsistent shot this season, but at only 20 years old, has grown considerably in his playmaking and ball handling, making him more valuable than just a potential future floor spacer.
Young projects like Ky Bowman and the recent surge of Mychal Mulder brings even more optimism that the Warriors might have discovered significant contributors, all on the cheap.
So how could next season’s bench compare to past teams in the Steve Kerr era? Let's take a look.
Potential 2020-21 bench
Golden State Warriors
High lottery pick
Mid-level exception
$17M trade exception
Paschall
Chriss
Lee
Poole
Bowman
Mulder
2018-19
Andre Iguodala
Shaun Livingston
Quinn Cook
Kevon Looney
Alfonzo McKinnie
Jonas Jerebko
Jordan Bell
2017-18
Iguodala
Livingston
Cook
Looney
JaVale McGee
David West
Pat McCaw
Nick Young
2016-17
Iguodala
Livingston
McGee
West
Ian Clark
Matt Barnes
2015-16
Iguodala
Livingston
Clark
Leandro Barbosa
Festus Ezeli
Brandon Rush
Marreese Speights
2014-15
Iguodala
Livingston
Barbosa
Ezeli
Rush
Speights
David Lee
Justin Holiday
Replacing the impact of Iguodala and Livingston will be hard to impossible to do. But while the bench will be quite young if they keep a majority of the current players, the Warriors can add seasoned veterans through free agency and trades.
And if the front office makes the right moves, there definitely is a chance that the Warriors' bench is deeper than it ever has been, especially with multiple options to hit 3-pointers.