All-Time Starting Five in Warriors History (Plus a 5-Man Second Unit)

The debate about the Golden State Warriors all-time starting five is based on primarily on career accomplishments vs. fit together.

For example, Rick Barry would deserve to be in the starting five considering he's a 12-time All-Star, but for a modern-day starting five, he's not as good of a fit as the shooting guard and small forward selected for this team.

I based these selections on the peak of these players when they were with the Warriors. How long they were with the Warriors didn't matter as long as their peak performance with the Dubs was worthy of this list.

All-Time Starting Five

Point guard: Stephen Curry

The Warriors' all-time starting five features three players in most fans' top 15 in NBA history, including Curry.

The four-time champ and two-time MVP would be even more impactful with a more loaded roster, as his star teammates would exploit his gravity much better.

Shooting guard: Klay Thompson

Thompson would be a perfect fit in this lineup. He doesn't need many touches to thrive, which is essential considering the players at point guard, small forward and center are all-time great scorers. His gravity would help all those scorers as well.

Prior to his two serious injuries, Thompson was also a great on-ball defender.

Small forward: Kevin Durant

Durant won two Finals MVPs in three seasons with the Warriors, so based on the peak performance criterion, this was a no-brainer.

The 16-time All-Star and one-time MVP rejoins Curry and Thompson to form a shotmaking trio that no other team's all-time starting five can match.

Power forward: Draymond Green

If it ain't broke don't fix it. The Warriors won two titles in two seasons when Curry, Thompson, Durant and Green were healthy, so they get the band back together here.

Green has proved to be a great fit with stars due to his passing and defense, as he's proved in Warriors and Olympics settings. And though his offensive limitations can be frustrating, keep in mind his peak season (2015-16) featured 38.8 percent three-point shooting and a seventh-place MVP finish.

Center: Wilt Chamberlain

Chamberlain spent 5.5 seasons with the Warriors franchise, including 2.5 in San Francisco. In that time, he averaged 41.5 points and 25.1 rebounds per game.

Just imagine Chamberlain dominating the paint while Curry, Thompson and Durant splash triples when he's double-teamed.

Warriors' All-Time Second Unit

PG: Tim Hardaway
SG: Andre Iguodala
SF: Chris Mullin
PF: Rick Barry
C: Nate Thurmond

The first thing that likely stands out is that Barry is playing out of position at the 4. Well, in a modern-day lineup, you can usually get away with having a 6'7" player at the 4, and if this were a real team, Durant and Green would play most of the minutes at the 4 anyway.

The key to any modern-day lineup is having at least three capable three-point shooters on the floor at once. That made Hardaway (two seasons at 37.8 3PT% or better with the Warriors) and Mullin (career 38.4 3PT%) no-brainers.

The 2-guard spot was a close call between Iguodala and Jason Richardson (with Mitch Richmond also considered). Richardson is a better three-point shooter, but Iguodala is a better defender and passer and an average three-point shooter. His ability to make spot-up threes would work well enough while Hardaway, Mullin and Barry provide most of the scoring. Plus, Iguodala can guard 3s and 4s.

For the backup center spot, it comes down to Nate Thurmond and Andrew Bogut. I gave the nod to Thurmond, who finished second in the MVP race in 1966-67 while averaging 18.7 points and 21.3 rebounds.

Jimmy Butler was also heavily considered for the 2, 3 and 4. But the fact that Butler has never played a full healthy season with the Warriors made me lean toward Iguodala, Mullin and Barry.

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