The Warriors just can’t find a backup point guard.
They traded for Jordan Crawford last season, and when he didn’t work out, they traded for Steve Blake, who also underwhelmed.
Their key offseason addition, Shaun Livingston, got hurt – and it seems his injury will keep him out on the long end of projections.
Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle:
Steve Kerr said there's a good chance Shaun Livingston (toe) will miss a week or two of the regular season even after a good medical report.
— Rusty Simmons (@JRustySimmons) October 13, 2014
If Livingston can’t play, the main point guard options behind Stephen Curry are Nemanja Nedovic (who played sparsely as a rookie last season) and Aaron Craft (acquired as an undrafted free agent). Needless to say, that’s pretty underwhelming.
But Andre Iguodala can distribute, and he might get a role that allows him to do so.
Mike Trudell of Lakers.com:
Steve Kerr said he may end up using Iguodala off the bench early in season (starting Barnes) for playmaking ability while Livingston is out.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 13, 2014
Although Iguodala would probably work well with the second unit, I’m quite fond of Golden State’s starting lineup and wouldn’t rush to break it up. This could be the Warriors creating a bigger problem to solve their backup-point guard dilemma.
Here’s how the Warriors’ other four starters – Curry, Klay Thompson, David Lee and Andrew Bogut – performed with Iguodala or Barnes last season:
| Lineup | Offensive rating | Defensive rating | Net rating |
| With Iguodala | 112.4 | 97 | +15.4 |
| With Barnes | 97.3 | 102.8 | -5.5 |
Bringing Iguodala off the bench might be necessary if neither Nedovic nor Craft can handle a rotation role, but it’d be my last resort. And if it’s necessary, I’d rather start Draymond Green – a better defender (and maybe player) than Barnes.
But the goal, regardless of who starts, still should be playing Iguodala frequently with Curry, Thompson, Lee and Bogut. That unit is just too reliably good to disband.