Golden State Warriors: Gauging the Impact of the Team's New Additions

Warriors' General Manager Larry Riley has had his share of critics upon his promotion following the 2008-09 season. Last season's acquisition of David Lee and his subsequent six-year, $80 million contract did little to lessen those critics.

So, it's hard to blame the collective groan from the Warriors faithful when the team's big offseason acquisition was not quite who they were hoping for.

In the team's annual shoot for the stars, the Warriors were said to be players in both the Chris Paul and the Tyson Chandler sweepstakes. Later, they threw their hat in the DeAndre Jordan sweepstakes with an offer sheet in hand.

So, when the dust settled and the Warriors had none other than Kwame Brown (with a one-year, $7 million deal, no less) as their big summer heist, it seemed as though the Warriors were destined to be offseason losers yet again.

But credit Riley and his staff for assembling a productive second unit, even if the names aren't as sexy as the fans want. The Warriors' reserves were completely revamped this offseason. And this unit seemed more fit than even the team's starters to handle the physical basketball that new coach Mark Jackson hoped to implement.

To this point in the season, it's hard to argue which unit has been more important, regardless of the disparity in minutes. Whether it's Brandon Rush's league-leading 59.3 percent three-point shooting, Nate Robinson's leadership or Dominic McGuire's toughness, it's hard to find a Warriors win where the bench didn't contribute significantly.

As good as the aptly nicknamed Dubstitutes have been together, they've been equally impressive in their own roles.

Brandon Rush

As mentioned before, Rush has been uncanny from three-point land this season, but the 6'6", 225 lbs swingman has been much more than a lights-out shooter.

Rush has scored in double-figures in 10 of his 19 games this season and does not tally those numbers with meaningless baskets. In the five games where Rush has scored at least 14 points, the Warriors are 4-1, with wins over the Trailblazers and the Knicks.

With the way this year's Warriors have struggled on the (wait for it) offensive end of the floor, his shooting would probably be enough to warrant his 25.2 minutes per night. But it's Rush's versatility and defense that embodies how this unit has succeeded. Rush has had at least a block or a steal in 11 games this year and has pulled down at least four rebounds in 10 contests.

If the starting five ever learns anything from its backups and the team can climb in the Western Conference standings, Rush would be the team's sixth-man candidate.

Klay Thompson

Even when Thompson struggled to the tune of 8-35 from the field and 1-12 from three-point land in his first four games as a professional, it was hard to imagine that he would not figure out the NBA game sooner than later.

Thompson has the type of shooting stroke that needs no scouting reports. People who don't watch basketball could tell that he would be a great shooter.

And with 19 regular season games now under his belt, Thompson would be leading the team in perimeter shooting, if not for Rush's ridiculous start. Even still, his 41.8 percent rate is good enough for 26th in the NBA.

He's still learning how to impact his team in other ways than his shooting, but that's to be expected from a player a week shy of 22 years old. He has shown an aggressiveness at times on the offensive end and registered a career-best three blocks in the Warriors' loss to the Thunder last Friday night.

He may be invisible in certain games this season, but hopefully he stays invisible to the opposition. His quick release does not need a lot of space.

Nate Robinson

Robinson's signing in early January was met with despair by some members of the fan base, seen simply as a ploy by the front office to use the gimmicky player to keep the Oracle faithful coming, regardless of the team's subpar performance.

But to a large portion of the team's fans (and to many basketball analysts), the move was intriguing. Robinson had too much talent to be without a team at the start of this season. The fit seemed perfect, given the Warriors uptempo systems, the problems with their starting point guard (Stephen Curry) staying on the court and with their backup point guards (Charles Jenkins and Ish Smith) contributing.

Jackson's opinion of Robinson was evident when the diminutive point guard logged 31 minutes against the Lakers in his first game of the season. Robinson scored nine points in his debut, but then tallied double-digits in six straight games, including a team-high 24 in their 111-106 overtime win over the Heat.

Robinson's scoring has cooled considerably since that stretch (scoring in double figures once in six games), but he's posted 31 assists compared to just 10 turnovers. And while his decision-making is questionable at times and his defense suffers from some lingering bad habits, it's hard to argue that he's not the hardest working player on the team.

Dominic McGuire

There may not be a more underwhelming stat line than the career numbers logged by McGuire. The four-year forward has averaged 2.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 15.0 minutes.

There's no need for advanced statistics to see McGuire's true impact on the team. Just tune in to one game. As my nephew put, "That guy is everywhere."

And he'll play everywhere that Jackson needs him. When the Warriors defeated the Knicks in an early season matchup, it was McGuire that finally cooled the hot hand of Carmelo Anthony and helped the team gain separation.

Most nights, McGuire uses his 6'9", 235 lbs frame to bang alongside his undersized counterpart Udoh. His rebounds have dropped this season (2.6), remarkable considering the way he finds his way to loose basketballs and hits the floor.

He would have never survived a Don Nelson training camp. But with Jackson's, for a lack of a better word, more traditional style in place, McGuire's likely to increase his 11.7 minutes.

Rounding out the Additions

Jeremy Tyler may end up as the best NBA player of this group one day, but he's still getting his feet wet as Jackson eases him into the NBA game.

Tyler had played just eight minutes prior to logging seven minutes in the team's win against the Trailblazers on January 25. He played a career-high 15 minutes with six points, three rebounds and two assists in the loss against the Thunder last Friday, and played a silent six minutes in the team's win over the Kings Tuesday night. In other words, whether Tyler has impressed Jackson in practice lately, or Jackson's hands have been tied by Kwame Brown's injury and Andris Biedrins' lack of production, Tyler's minutes may be coming sooner than we thought.

Charles Jenkins was likewise forced into an expanded role when Curry battled through ankle injuries in the early part of the season. He never garnered a lot of attention during that stretch, which may explain why he's lost his minutes to Robinson since Curry's return. But, it also may explain why Jenkins has avoided the D-League, as he's shown he's capable of playing NBA basketball.

As for the remainder of the additions, Brown was a home run until a shoulder injury cost the big man his season. Undrafted free agent Chris Wright played with a high motor in the few chances he had to see the court, but he's now playing for the Dakota Wizards of the D League, which is where he belongs for now.

And Earl Barron? He's 7'0", 250 lbs, which is why the Warriors signed him, but his minutes take away from Udoh's and Tyler's. In other words, any positive impact he'll make will likely only be seen on the practice floor.