3 new Warriors death lineups Steve Kerr can use to his advantage

The Golden State Warriors had arguably the most eventful offseason in the NBA. From Klay Thompson's departure, to failed trades for Paul George and Lauri Markkanen, there was plenty going on behind the scenes. Credit where credit is due, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office made an earnest attempt to improve the roster around Stephen Curry in the twilight of his career.

Klay naturally commanded the majority of the headlines — he was a staple of perhaps our greatest dynasty, of course his exit made waves — but the Warriors quietly got better on the margins. De'Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield, and Kyle Anderson are all cheap, impactful role players added to Golden State's depth chart. Meanwhile, we can expect meaningful internal growth from the likes of Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga, and Trayce Jackson-Davis.

Golden State has a fresh look this season. The backbone remains the same, and it will always start with Steph. But the Warriors are going to be a better team in 2024-25. I'm willing to stake my claim on that take (please do not save receipts). Their willingness to engineer a blockbuster trade is also promising. There's a non-zero chance we get a major Warriors upgrade midseason if the right All-Star becomes available.

For now, let's focus on the roster at hand and how Steve Kerr can maneuver his new pieces around. Thompson's shooting is out of the equation, but Golden State has another historic 3-point marksmen in Hield, as well as plus-plus wing defenders in Melton and Anderson.

Here are a few potentially fun lineup combinations that Steve Kerr can unveil in high-leverage situations.

Lineup No. 3: Real Hoopers Only

PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Brandin Podziemski
SF: Buddy Hield
PF: Jonathan Kuminga
C: Draymond Green

This is just fun. It's hard to formulate a more potent offensive unit from the Warriors' current personnel. There are potential defensive fissures that may arise, but Draymond remains an all-world backbone and Podziemski can handle tough assignments on the perimeter. If Kuminga can take another step on defense, this becomes all the more feasible.

The combined gravity of Curry, Hield, and Podziemski would be an immediate handful for opposing defenses. Hield has been better in theory than in actuality over the last couple years, but the shooting is very much real. He will fire from deep, at various angles, with absolute confidence. Add his hair-trigger 3s to Steph's constant movement, in tandem with Podziemski's spot-up prowess and connective passing, and the Dubs' backcourt gets quite exciting to think about.

In the frontcourt, Draymond does his standard Draymond stuff, running de facto point, setting screens, and working various two-man actions along the perimeter. Kuminga is the blunt force — a dynamic downhill attacker with the speed, strength, and physicality to overwhelm most defenders on an island. With the floor spread five-out, there should be no shortage of driving lanes for Kuminga.

This feels like a real potential closing lineup for the Dubs, especially if Hield finds his second wind in Steve Kerr's offense, which feels distinctly plausible.

Lineup No. 2: All defense, all the time

PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Brandin Podziemski
SF: De'Anthony Melton
PF: Draymond Green
C: Kevon Looney

It will be fascinating to see if we can get a slightly better version of Kevon Looney in 2024-25. Last season's Looney shouldn't be near the floor in crunch time. Vintage Looney, however, was a silent staple of Golden State's success and one of the 100-odd best players in the NBA.

There are versions of this lineup with Trayce Jackson-Davis that are equally viable, while small-ball "defense" lineups with Draymond and Kyle Anderson in the frontcourt also check out logically. For now, we give Looney the benefit of the doubt and some well-deserved love, while also surrounding him with (arguably) Golden State's best four-man collection.

Curry is always going to be in a 'death lineup,' so while he does not qualify as a particularly great defender, he is still the lineup. Golden State needs offense, and Curry isn't half as bad defensively as his detractors would lead you to believe.

Between the wing trio of Draymond, De'Anthony, and Podziemski, Golden State will generate so many deflections — so many busted passing lanes, well-contested shots, and rushed decisions — that opposing offenses will be scrambling to pick up the pieces. Melton is one of the best off-ball, weak-side defensive guards in the NBA, blessed with length and razor-sharp instincts. Podz has a similar nose for chaos, while Draymond reigns supreme in that realm.

This lineup should generate plenty of stops late in games, especially if Looney is the bankable rim protector and voracious rebounder of yesteryear.

Lineup No. 1: Death lineup, but new

PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Brandin Podziemski
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Jonathan Kuminga
C: Draymond Green

This is probably the Warriors' starting and closing lineup, if we want to traffic in reality. Steve Kerr will change his final five nightly depending on game flow and various other factors, but this is the baseline. Draymond can still handle full-time center duties and there are certain offensive trade-offs in starting Trayce Jackson-Davis or Kevon Looney, thus we arrive at this point.

It's hard to imagine the Warriors not starting Jonathan Kuminga, who should be stationed at the four defensively. That is a primary motivation for this unit. There is also the simple fact that, for all his faults, Andrew Wiggins carries a $27.5 AAV on his contract. Golden State is going to try to make that work, and we've seen Wiggins approach All-Star heights in a Warriors uniform. His size, defense, and theoretical shooting value all position him as a clear starter until it's no longer viable.

The most intriguing change here compared to last season — and we already saw extended glimpses of it in 2023-24 — is Podziemski stepping in for Thompson. That is the major "upgrade" or change to Golden State's calculus this season. He's not the same in terms of shooting dynamism, but Podziemski is an efficient, high-volume shooter in his own right. Moreover, he's a much better secondary ball-handler and passer than Thompson, and the defense is leagues better at this stage of Thompson's career. That is a real improvement for the Dubs, almost addition by subtraction. Plus, we could see a major second-year spike in production from Podz, who spent his summer training with Team USA. Iron sharpens iron, as they say.

This lineup was not perfect a season ago, but it's a strong starting point for the new-look, new-age Dubs. Thompson's departure allows the entire group to take a deep breath and reset. A lot of negative energy has left the building. Now, let's see if the Warriors can make lemonade out of lemons.