The Golden State Warriors starting lineup - Preview
The Golden State Warriors managed to acquire DeMarcus Cousins from the New Orleans Pelicans for the upcoming 2018-19 season. Cousins being added to the NBA Champions' roster just makes it even harder for any other team to even challenge for this year's Championship.
This is how the Warriors' starting five is going to look.
Stephen Curry - PG
Klay Thompson - SG
Kevin Durant - SF
Draymond Green - PF
DeMarcus Cousins - C
Terrifying when you look at this, especially when they have already proved that this Warriors team doesn't just look threatening only on paper. All five of these players are perennial All-Stars and will most likely feature in the upcoming NBA All-Star Game again.
The Warriors swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals last season. The only real test they faced was against the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals but that did not last too long. The Warriors stamped their authority to close out games when it mattered most, which is what they have been doing since the last few years.
Let us not forget that, at the time, Golden State had JaVale McGee playing at the Centre position. This time around, they will have one of the most dominant big men in the NBA, in 'Boogie' Cousins.
This Warriors starting five is arguably one of the strongest starting lineups in NBA history barring some of the Celtics (Bill Russell era) and Lakers (Showtime era) teams in the past.
All five of these All-Stars also play for Team USA and that chemistry is something that will only develop as they would always be together in practice. It makes the Warriors look so fierce, that it almost seems unreal.
This season is going to be possibly the one and only season this star-studded lineup will feature together in the NBA as Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant are both expected to test free agency in the summer.
The Warriors look terrifying going into the new season, and let's not forget Andre Iguodala who is the 6th man in the side.
But one big question remains to be answered. Having been out with injury for nearly the entire 2017-18 season, will Cousins be the same player as he was before or will the injury take away some aspects of his game?
On defense, GSW were tied at 8th for Defensive Efficiency giving up 104.2 points per 100 possessions. Expect that number to come down because Cousins brings a lot of defensive prowess to the NBA Champions. Boogie is sure to make the Warriors better defensively, regardless of his long layoff due to injury.
The Warriors' starting five will feature four first-round picks from the NBA draft in their respective rookie seasons. Draymond is the only exception as he was the 35th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.
With the Splash Brothers, KD, Boogie and Draymond, California might possibly have Showtime again, not in Los Angeles but in the Bay Area this time around. The Warriors will be looking to complete a three-peat this season and it looks extremely difficult to stop them.
With LeBron James joining the Los Angeles Lakers, the basketball world will be looking forward to the Pacific division match up as the Warriors will face off with LeBron for at least four games this season.
Get ready, NBA fans! The mighty Golden State Warriors will be ready to rumble in the 2018-19 season which could be the last time the team will win a Championship for a while, if KD and Klay do end up testing free agency.
This NBA season is going to be off the hook! The overloaded Western Conference has just become stronger with the addition of King James to the Lakers. But is that enough to stop Golden State? We shall see soon enough!
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