Warriors Projected to Use Small Lineup Against Suns
On November 2, Golden State was projected to face Phoenix at Chase Center without Gui Santos and Al Horford, with Brandon Williams questionable. The proposed rotation leans on small lineups and extended minutes for Yaxel Lendeborg and Brandin Podziemski.
Golden State is expected to miss Gui Santos and Al Horford in Monday’s game against Phoenix at Chase Center. Brandon Williams, meanwhile, is listed as questionable because of a quad contusion, leaving uncertainty over who will handle backup point-guard minutes if he cannot play.
A proposed rotation would put Stephen Curry, De’Anthony Melton, Brandin Podziemski, Yaxel Lendeborg and Draymond Green together to start and close the game. The lineup is short on size, but Melton’s 52.8% three-point shooting and the group’s past results were cited as reasons to keep him in the starting five. A larger option would replace him with Georges Niang or Charles Bassey.
Lendeborg and Podziemski could each play 34 minutes, the most in the projection. Curry and Green are assigned 32 minutes apiece, while Niang would get 22. Bassey and Graham Ike are projected for 16 and 14 minutes, respectively, with Richard at 14. Williams would receive 16 minutes if available; LJ Cryer is the alternative.
The forecast gives Niang an expanded role because the team has few healthy forwards on standard contracts. Lendeborg is coming off a career-best 37-point game Sunday, while Podziemski scored 17. The projection notes that their minutes could be affected by the back-to-back schedule. It also leaves Gary Payton II out, despite an expectation that coach Steve Kerr may use him for 10 to 20 minutes.