Which Warriors Should Start with Curry, Butler and Green?

In the eight games the Warriors have had Stephen Curry healthy, they've started two lineups.

One is Curry, Jimmy Butler, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Quinten Post. The other is Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Jimmy Butler, Jonathan Kuminga and Quinten Post.

Is one of these the ideal starting lineup? Or should the Warriors get Moses Moody or even Will Richard into the first five? Let's break it down.

The Case for the Kuminga-Post Lineup

It goes without saying that any lineup featuring Butler and Green needs shooting. That's why Quinten Post has already started six games this season.

The 7-footer is a true stretch 5, as he's shooting 40.3 percent from three in his career.

The space provided by Curry and Post has worked wonders for this lineup.

It has an outrageous 70.1 true shooting percentage in 35 minutes, dispelling the notion that Jonathan Kuminga can't play in a lineup with Butler and Green due to spacing concerns. Though we'll need a much bigger sample size before we can declare this a non-issue.

Overall, the lineup has a plus-26.7 net rating. This is also the biggest lineup the Warriors could realistically go with, which has the added benefit of not overtaxing Green on defense.

The Case for the Kuminga-Podz Lineup

Brandin Podziemski is probably a bit underrated by the Warriors fanbase. He does a lot of things well, which is why Steve Kerr calls him a connector.

This lineup has played a team-high 61 minutes with a solid plus-14.2 net rating. The advantage of it over the Post lineup is the defense can switch everything much more easily instead of having to worry about Post defending pick-and-rolls.

Despite being smaller, this lineup has rebounded better than the Post lineup, but it hasn't shot it nearly as well, which makes sense considering Post is a better shooter than Podz.

Should Moody Replace Kuminga?

Jonathan Kuminga's two-game mini-slump has dropped his three-point percentage to 33.3. Meanwhile, Moses Moody is shooting 42.9 percent.

Some would argue it's as simple as that—Moody should start.

It's not that simple.

The Warriors want Kuminga playing with Curry as much as possible so that Kuminga's driving lanes are bigger. In fact, that pairing has a team-high 222 minutes together, and it's plus-2.8. In his 102 minutes on the floor without Curry, Kuminga is a minus-9.1, per Cleaning the Glass.

Meanwhile, Moody is a plus-15.4 in his minutes with Butler. So it makes sense for Kuminga to start and play with Steph for most of his first stint, and then Moody can check in and play with Butler late in the first quarter and early in the second quarter.

What About Will Richard?

He's off to a fantastic start, and the fact that he has his own subhead here is evidence of that.

It's bean an extremely small sample size of 76 possessions, but the Curry-Richard lineups have a minus-25.7 net rating.

Richard deserves more chances to play with Curry, and if those numbers dramatically change, he'll have a better argument when we revisit this prompt.

Verdict

For now, the Post-Kuminga lineup accomplishes the most for Golden State.

It keeps Kuminga engaged and puts him in a lineup he can succeed in.

It keeps Green from having to immediately guard opposing centers, which could keep him fresher for the long haul.

It allows Moody to play more with Butler and the second unit, which has been a great match.

Not to mention, it has been the team's best high-minute lineup, getting Golden State off to good starts consistently.

If Kuminga's recent struggles continue for a few more games, the Warriors will have to go with Podz or Moody. But until that mini-slump becomes a prolonged slump, Kuminga should remain in the first five.