Warriors ‘Love’ Their Worst Two-Man Lineup

This season, the Golden State Warriors are the only team in the NBA that consistently uses all 12 players on any given night. It seems to have worked so far, as the Warriors are also one of only five teams who have won eight games, and so far, Golden State has beaten two of those other teams. The Warriors have a ton of different lineups they can use, which has been a breath of fresh air for more established players. However, with so many different combinations, some lineups are simply better than others.

The Warriors’ best five-man lineup is Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Gary Payton II, which, per 100 possessions, has the best point differential of any other five-man group.

Their most frequent lineup, the starting unit, has been outscored by seven points per 100 possessions, which outlines just how important their bench unit is, as well as their versatility.

The Dubs’ best two-man lineup is Looney and Podziemski, although their most common pairing is Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins. That unit is up 1.2 points per 100 possessions, although Green relishes playing with someone else more: recent addition Kyle Anderson.

“I love playing with Kyle!” said Green. “When he’s on the floor, he brings a lot of what I bring. So just having that guy who is communicating on the back line…I can take more chances, can be more aggressive in certain spots because he’s going to be there to cover it, and then he adds another ball handler, another playmaker.”

While Green and Anderson might get along well, that lineup, which has only shared the floor for 41 minutes this season, posts a negative six-point differential per 100, which is the lowest of anyone Green plays with.

In fact, every other two-man lineup with Green in it has a positive rating, and Anderson’s only worse pairings are with Lindy Waters and Moses Moody.

Still, Green has never let stats or analytics get in the way of good vibes, and he enjoys the versatility he and Anderson bring to the table. “I’ve always said how much I hated playing against him. It’s been great to have him as a new addition,” Green finished.