Warriors' Two-Timeline Approach Can't Be More Important Than Stephen Curry's Timeline

Stephen Curry has opened this season right where he left off during the NBA Finals.

The Warriors' generational superstar is averaging 32.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists on a 51.2/43.1/93.4 shooting split.

So why are the Warriors only 4-7? Look no further than their two-timeline plan, which sounds great in theory but has proved costly in practice.

With Curry playing like an MVP and the starters dominating, the Warriors’ path to another title is clear. But they could easily veer off a cliff if management continues to let their young draft picks take the wheel.

James Wiseman's and Jonathan Kuminga’s struggles aren’t just bumps on the road. Management’s faith in them is far more detrimental than a few missed defensive rotations and bungled dunks. The choice could tank this season.

The Warriors have been selling a two-timeline plan. But they should only be focused on one timeline. That timeline is Curry.

Players like Curry come around once every generation, and the Warriors should be scared to waste a second of his prime. And this year, they’re dangerously close to wasting it unless they make some changes.

Here are the ways in which the Warriors’ decision to prioritize the "win now, develop now" ideology could be detrimental to what remains of the Curry dynasty era and this contention window.

Lottery picks are not a fit

Curry’s style defines the Warriors’ success. While most teams use a steady diet of high pick-and-roll, the Warriors’ attack is multifaceted and motion-based, often with their superstar guard playing off-ball.

This style requires versatile, high-IQ players capable of playing multiple roles and making decisions on the fly. The result is hard to guard and even harder to replicate.

But Wiseman and Kuminga, the Warriors’ most recent top-10 picks, were drafted as development projects with no certainty that either could play the Warriors' way.

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Wiseman is going through extreme growing pains. But even if he improves, is his style of play what the team really should invest in?

The team has what would be an NBA-worst offense and defense when he’s on the floor. Jordan Poole’s slow start should be partly attributed to the way he must change his game while sharing the floor with Wiseman. The ball stops moving and Poole starts force-feeding the big. That’s not good.

One of Curry’s best attributes as a superstar is his ability to make any player better when sharing the floor with them. When Wiseman is on the floor with Curry, the Warriors’ offensive rating is only 103.5, and their overall net rating is minus-19.5, per Cleaning The Glass. For reference, the Warriors have a plus-14.3 net rating and 125.6 offensive rating with Curry on the floor and Wiseman off it.

That swing is the difference between the best offense and worst offense in the NBA. The 2020 No. 2 pick is out of his element in Golden State and far away from being able to contribute to a team with championship aspirations.

Head coach Steve Kerr sat him out of Monday’s win in favor of Anthony Lamb, a player recently signed on a two-way contract.

Kuminga hasn’t been much better. He had two DNPs on their five-game road trip. And his introduction back into the rotation on Monday was rough, as he finished minus-17 in nine minutes.

Warriors chose youth over experience on the bench

Statistically, the Warriors bench is one of the worst in the NBA, while the starters are dominating. Per Synergy, entering Saturday's games the Warriors' starting lineup had a plus-23 net rating and every other lineup had a minus-14 net rating.

It didn’t have to be this way. Last year the Warriors struck gold with the low-cost additions of Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II.

They fit the Warriors’ unique read-and-react system and gave Kerr the depth to not only mix-and-match based on matchups, but the ability to withstand stretches when Curry wasn’t on the floor.

This depth was a vital part of the championship team. Players like Damion Lee and Juan Toscano-Anderson could also come off the bench in a pinch and play the Warriors' style without a hitch.

Those veterans now swapped for inexperience, the Warriors' bench is a mess, forcing them to place a heavier burden on their starters.

On Monday, Game 11 of the season, Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins all played nearly 40 minutes to eke out a win against a middling Sacramento team.

This is unsustainable. There’s little chance the young players can play at the level the team needs them to this season, which means a title is in jeopardy unless the front office can add more veteran experience to the bench.

The depth didn’t need to be gutted

The Warriors are deep into the repeater luxury tax, spending around $360 million, and money conscious. So when Payton and Porter were offered more money in free agency than the Warriors wanted to offer, it made sense to let them walk.

But the choice happened only because of the money Wiseman and Kuminga are making this and next year, which has a nearly equal impact on their luxury tax payments that Payton or Porter would have had on their new contracts.

Lee and Toscano-Anderson ended up signing veteran-minimum contracts for other teams. Neither received a significant pay raise to their previous year's salary, and they were replaced by rookies Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins, neither of whom have seen the floor in a meaningful way.

Four veterans off the bench aged 29 to 30 were replaced with players age-21 or under with limited to no professional experience.

What’s worse, Kerr has tempered expectations for their prospects, cautioning fans that Wiseman and Kuminga may not produce immediate results. Perhaps they can turn into decent basketball players on a team that will allow them to learn how to play basketball.

If Wiseman or Kuminga aren’t able to significantly improve and contribute consistently off the bench within the next few months, management should look to acquire reliable veteran help for the bench. And, though it may seem extreme, that could include trading one or both of them. A wasted year of Curry’s generational career is at stake if they don’t at least consider this option.