Five Warriors who benefit most from 15-man active roster
Steve Kerr will have a couple of additional players to call on for the Warriors each night.The NBA's competition committee unanimously approved expanding active rosters from 13 to 15 players, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported Saturday morning, citing sources. All 30 teams are scheduled to play 72 games in a mad dash beginning Dec. 22 and ending May 16, and the risk of injury could be higher for players following an abbreviated training camp and preseason.Kerr alluded Saturday to some of the difficulties the Warriors will have finding spots for some players in the rotation, particularly in the backcourt. Still, two more spots are up for grabs than otherwise would've been anticipated.Which players will benefit the most? These five have a lot to gain from an expanded active roster.
The Oakland native made his NBA debut last season, signing with the team after the trade deadline. In 13 games, Toscano-Anderson averaged 5.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
Along with guard Mychal Mulder, Toscano-Anderson figures to be an option for the Warriors' last two-way spot. What could benefit Toscano-Anderson most is Draymond Green's continued absence, as the forward is expected to miss all of the preseason.
Toscano-Anderson started at the four when Green missed time last season, and he could be a decent insurance policy this season. Remember: Green led the NBA in ejections last season, and an expanded active roster would allow the Warriors to backfill the rotation with Toscano-Anderson.
Mulder won't be confused with Klay Thompson anytime soon, but his shooting and defensive ability could help the Warriors replace their injured superstar by committee. Although Mulder made just 30.8 percent of his 3-pointers in seven games with the Warriors last season, he has shot 38.6 percent from beyond the arc in three G League seasons.
The 26-year-old showed solid defensive acumen in limited NBA action last season, too, making Mulder a depth option with two-way ability. Mulder's shooting might be enough to earn him a spot, though, especially as a card Kerr can play without having to scratch the guards ahead of Mulder in the rotation.
Kerr said Saturday prior to the preseason opener that there are only so many minutes to go around among the reserve guards, but he did mention that Mulder has had a strong camp. If Mulder's non-guaranteed contract is converted to a two-way one, he'll have a much more likely chance of being called upon from an expanded active roster.
Smailagic figures to have far fewer "DNP-CD"s next to his name with active rosters reportedly expanding. The 20-year-old has a guaranteed contract and the Warriors are committed to his long-term growth, but a bigger roster means he's now more likely to actually dress for games this season.
Playing time still might be hard to come by, with Marquese Chriss, Kevon Looney, Eric Paschall, No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman and Green set to play the bulk of the minutes in the frontcourt. Two of those players -- Green and Wiseman -- aren't expected to play in the preseason, however, and Smailagic would be able to get minutes during the regular season if any of the players ahead of him in the rotation get into foul trouble.
A larger roster would allow the Warriors to incrementally evaluate Smailagic's NBA readiness rather than throw him into a role he's not ready for or, worse, have him not play at all ahead of the G League's planned bubble next year.
Poole, like Smailagic, was drafted last year doesn't seem to have a firm grasp on a rotation spot headed into his second season with the Warriors. That's no fault of Poole, who Kerr praised for his offseason work.
Much like his draft class of 2019 compatriot, though, Poole will be a big beneficiary of an expanded roster that enables him to be active every night. Even if he's not a part of the substitution patterns during a given game, Kerr will be able to turn to Poole as a spark off the bench. It would line up rather nicely with what Kerr wants Poole to learn in his second training camp.
"Jordan has got to maybe take a little bit of a lesson from Damion Lee," Kerr said last Wednesday. "Damion has been valuable to us the last couple years because he's always ready. Even if he's not in the rotation, I know I can throw him out there and he's gonna produce. That's a really important aspect of being a young player in this league -- staying prepared and staying ready. That may be Jordan's role this year."
It's a lot easier to have that role wearing a sweatsuit on the sideline rather than a three-piece, the likelihood Poole fills it thus goes up with a larger active roster.
I can practically hear you rolling your eyes already. You might be thinking of leaving this blog while asking, "What's a six-time All-Star, three-time NBA champion and two-time MVP got to gain from two extra roster spots?"
The answer, skeptical reader, is quite a bit! Curry missed all but five games last season, torpedoing any hopes the Warriors had in the process. Golden State can't afford to lose him again, and a bigger active roster would allow Kerr -- if he so chooses -- to ease Curry back into the rigors of an NBA season.
Two additional active roster spots allows for the possibility of a larger rotation, or -- perhaps more likely -- another guard (or two) who could be called upon to spell Curry in a pinch. The schedule's intensity makes it all the more important to keep Curry healthy, and an expanded roster gives the Warriors the chance to do that with more insurance behind him.
