Depth is a bail out term.
Any team can sign a slew of players in a given off-season and boast of their depth. Take the Detroit Pistons, who just recently waived forward Josh Smith and are coming off an off-season when they hired Stan Van Gundy as head coach/GM and signed Jodie Meeks, DJ Augustin, Caron Butler and Aaron Gray.
Even the greatness of Van Gundy can’t amass to more than a 5-23 record (in the putrid Eastern Conference). Josh Smith was never going to work, Andre Drummond is promising but misplaced and Greg Monroe is looking for any way out of the Palace. The Pistons have talent in all the wrong places. Their signings seemed adequate but have turned for nothing more than a hoard of NBA miscues.
Depth means one thing on paper, but an entirely different thing when applied. Signing bodies doesn’t equate to a capable second-unit. The Warriors have been trying to find a formidable bench since the Don Nelson era, and they finally have one to complement the best five-man starting unit in the league. Every player has a role, but more importantly, they accept said role and thrive off it.
“All those guys are really hard workers and the most important thing is we have a balanced team,” said David Lee following the Warriors 128-108 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night. “One night it’s Draymond, one night it’s Bogut, and tonight it was a guy like Justin Holiday and Festus having big games. When you have that it makes your team very, very difficult to stop, especially in the playoff type situation where everybody’s ready to go and contribute.”
On a night when Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes combine for 26 points on 10-for-25 shooting, the bench steps up for a season-high 62 points. All 13 players active scored and contributed in ways where their particular skillset was on display. Not every team will get “his” so to speak on every given night, but they could care less. This team has personalities, but no egos.
This is why all the talk of locker room outrage and dysfunction following the firing of their previous coach was always silly. Depth and the chemistry that a successful bench carries aren’t built over one off-season. The Warriors have been looking for a formidable bench since Joe Lacob became majority owner, and they finally have one to complement one of the best five-man starting units in the league. Personalities mesh, their games intertwine seamlessly and there are no qualms of these roles.