Projected Warriors starting lineup against Lakers in Game 1 of Western Conference Semifinals

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 30: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors and Draymond Green #23 react during the fourth quarter in game seven of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on April 30, 2023 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

The Golden State Warriors take on the Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Tuesday. Here’s what the Warriors lineup should look like.

After the hard-fought seven-game series win of the Kings in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the Golden State Warriors return to the hardwood on Tuesday night. The opponent? A legendary matchup for Stephen Curry as he and LeBron James will clash for possibly the final time in the playoffs as Golden State matches up against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals.

All eyes are going to be on this star-studded series, especially with the Lakers having a bit more rest for LeBron, Anthony Davis and the like. At the same time, though, Curry is coming off of a 50-point monstrosity in the decisive Game 7 win over the Kings, so he could be heating up.

Moreover, the matchups in this series are going to be fascinating. The Warriors lineup continues to hone in on a largely small ball approach, which makes it intriguing to see what they’ll do to try and contend with the size and length of guys like Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura and so on.

So what will head coach Steve Kerr have in store to try and set the tone right out of the gate? Let’s take a look at the projected Warriors lineup for Game 1 against the Lakers.

Projected Warriors lineup vs. Lakers in Game 1 of West semifinals

G: Stephen Curry
G: Klay Thompson
F: Andrew Wiggins
F Draymond Green
F: Kevon Looney

Following his suspension for the infamous stomp, Draymond Green was out of the starting lineup for Golden State in Games 4-6 against the Kings. However, when it came down to the win-or-go-home Game 7 in Sacramento, Green was back in the starting five.

As such, I don’t see a way that the Warriors don’t look to get their best five on the floor. Jordan Poole will still be a part of the rotation to spell both Curry and Thompson but, given that he’s shooting just 33.8% from the floor and 25.7% from 3-point range in the NBA Playoffs thus far, he’s not the guy to have out there to try and set the tone.

The other four inclusions in the Warriors lineup should not be all that surprising. Curry has been on a tear, Thompson is a heat-seeking missile, Wiggins has started to look better with each game in the postseason, and Looney is by far the best big-man presence Golden State has to combat the size of the Lakers.

This is the lineup that took this team to yet another championship a season ago, though. So if it ain’t broke, there’s nothing to fix.

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