Golden State has the best starting five in the league, and have for quite some time now. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are the best backcourt duo when healthy. We have seen Curry miss some time over the last few seasons, and when that happens, Quinn Cook has stepped in nicely. Kevin Durant is just another added piece to this lineup, starting at small forward. Durant is a high usage option as you would expect within the starters. Draymond Green is the grinder of this starting lineup, and someone who does the dirty work racking up peripheral stats. There are so many options the Warriors can go with, and you rarely see them struggle on either side of the basketball. Until DeMarcus Cousins is healthy, Kevon Looney has been the man starting at the five. Looney is just a fill-in option, and someone who is a body on the court while the rest do their thing.
The Warriors are arguably the best roster the NBA has ever seen. Each player is top five in their position, and they even took a shot on DeMarcus Cousins coming off an Achilles injury. This is a low risk high reward move, and while it is expected for him to not be full throttle in the opening weeks of the season, he will likely split time with Jordan Bell and Zaza Pachulia. The Warriors adding another former high usage player will diminish his fantasy value. Cousins didn’t have a ton coming into the season given the injury, but even when he is on the court it will take away a few extra rebounds and shots for the rest of the team.
This has been the case since Kevin Durant got to Golden State, but Steve Kerr’s resting plan and Stephen Curry’s injuries have led to Durant to post very similar to his OKC days. Draymond Green continues to be a major contributor across all categories, and especially on the defensive side. Green has been an unselfish player, sacrificing his offensive numbers for the team. He does enough to continue to make up for it, and when one of the stars sit, he will take on a higher role in the team. Klay Thompson is more of a scorer, lacking to post in other categories. Thompson has his moments, but in terms of fantasy production he has ranked behind the other stars. Quinn Cook, Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, and David West are the other bench players, and all have prominent roles at times. Cook shined during an injury stretch for Curry. Iggy battled back issues most of the season but has taken ball-handling roles at times off the bench, and when healthy will float around 25 minutes or so a game.
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