The Golden State Warriors are off to a sizzling start to the season, achieving a 14-2 record so far. They have played all but one game without their starting power forward David Lee and have looked terrific. Draymond Green has filled in the void for Lee beautifully, which raises the question; are the Warriors better without David Lee?
Now, let us not blow things out of proportion. Lee is a magnificent player who could score, rebound, and is an underrated passer and extremely versatile. Lee’s ability to play is not the problem, of course. The problem is that Lee is not as good of a fit for the team as Draymond Green has been.
David Lee was supposed to be the player that the Warriors planned on building around a few years ago when owner Joe Lacob agreed to sign him. However, he has fallen out of favor for Golden State fans and has been the odd man out.
Why have the Warriors been so good without Lee?
Chemistry: The Warriors have much better spacing with Draymond Green in the lineup rather than David Lee. Green could pop out and shoot the three, which has been vital for the team. Green is also just as versatile as Lee, so he could put the ball on the floor and attack the basket. Green’s athleticism has also been key because it allows him to finish around the rim.
Defense: Last season, the Warriors were still a solid defensive team. Andrew Bogut has really changed the defensive side of the ball for them. However, this season, they are slightly better. This season, without Lee, the Warriors are number one in opponent’s field goal percentage, number eight in points allowed, number five in opponent’s three-point percentage, and number eight in forcing turnovers. Last season, they ranked number four in opponent’s field goal percentage, number 10 in points allowed, number three in opponent’s three-point percentage, and number 11 in forcing turnovers. Last season, their points per game differential was a plus-4.8, this season, a plus-10.6, which is also number one in the league.
As we can clearly see, their defense has somewhat improved. With Green, the Warriors get a more physical and athletic power forward who has the ability to defend multiple positions. That alone has been the biggest difference in the Warriors’ defense this season.
Wins: The most obvious production without Lee has been in the win column. In the past two seasons, with Lee sidelined, the Warriors have notched a 22-6 record. In addition, during the 2013 playoffs when Lee went down with a hip injury, the Warriors started winning. After they lost the first game of the series to the Denver Nuggets with Lee in the lineup, the Warriors won the next four out of five to advance to the second round with Lee out of the lineup.
It’s hard to leave out such a great player like David Lee, but the facts are that the Warriors are a better team excluding him from the stating unit.
So what do the Warriors do when Lee comes back from injury?
Benching him for the time being would be the best idea. They should leave Draymond Green in the lineup, as he is proving to be a better fit with the starting unit. With Marreese Speights also playing well off the bench recently, maybe sometime down the road the Warriors could part ways with David Lee. Either way, once Lee is healthy, Golden State will have to make certain the team chemistry doesn’t begin to diminish.
The Warriors have been playing at a championship level without David Lee so if they begin to struggle with him back into the lineup, then they should really consider moving him. It will be a win-win situation for both sides.