What David Lee Can Bring to the Warriors in 2nd Round vs. Grizzlies
After missing Golden State’s four-game sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the postseason, Warriors forward David Lee could be in line to see some playing time in the team’s Western Conference semifinals matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Lee, who has been dealing with a back injury in recent weeks, will have to be on top of his game if he does see the floor, though. The Grizz sport one of the best frontcourts in the NBA, and all hands will need to be on deck if Golden State is to corral both Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Just don’t expect Lee’s role to be any different than it’s been throughout the regular season.
If he does play, he’ll be providing the Warriors with a little extra depth off the bench, and according to the 10-year vet, per The Associated Press (h/t USA Today), he’s fine with that.
"This is about the team. If we were a terrible team it would be a different story. I'd be saying, "Let me go in there and do something." We’ve been successful, and I've played a role and helped us win games. All that happened during the season doesn't matter now. All that matters is we've gotten ourselves the No. 1 seed, and we will need every single guy on the team to try to win games.
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The former All-Star has been the consummate professional when speaking about his diminished role this year. But on top of his leadership both on and off the floor, Lee still has a few things to offer this Golden State team in terms of on-court production.
Experience
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Given the major difference between the magnitude of regular-season and postseason games, having experience in these kinds of contests can do wonders for a team.
This year’s involvement in the playoffs marks the third straight for Lee, all coming with the Warriors. And between the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons, the 6'9" forward has 13 postseason games already under his belt, averaging 9.8 points and 7.1 rebounds therein.
It’s that experience that makes him a more attractive option off the pine than fellow Florida alum Marreese Speights. Don’t get me wrong; Speights is a solid player. But he’s only managed 4.8 points and 3.2 boards per playoff game in his career.
Having a guy like Lee, who is a difference-maker on the glass and possesses strong scoring and passing abilities, is a clear upgrade over Speights. He’s just simply more versatile.
“He’ll have to come in and play 20 minutes and anchor our second unit,” teammate Stephen Curry told The AP. “He’s a guy who’s always ready. He’s done that all season. I know he just wants to be available and be healthy.”
Lee may never reach the 20-minute mark Curry has laid out for him in this series. But anything positive that Lee can supply the Warriors with is an added bonus.
Pick-and-Roll Threat
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While head coach Steve Kerr’s offense is predicated largely on quick passes and a lot of moving without the ball, the Warriors, like every other team, do in fact run the pick-and-roll.
The roll man for Golden State scored just 47.3 percent of the time this year, according to NBA.com, with Andrew Bogut finishing 50 percent of his scoring opportunities and Draymond Green converting on just 44.4 percent of his.
Lee was slightly more effective in these situations, scoring on 50.7 percent of his chances as the roll man while averaging 0.99 points per possession on such plays. He also outscored Bogut 70 to 52 in the pick-and-roll despite playing in 18 fewer games.
The numbers for Lee are admittedly not very good, as he ranks in just the 54th percentile in these sets. However, he’s arguably the most effective player the Warriors have to run the pick-and-roll due to his ability to either finish or find an open shooter with the extra pass.
Golden State won’t have to waste its time featuring Lee in the offense. But occasionally going to him in these situations can add an extra wrinkle to the team's offense to attract Memphis defenders into the middle of the floor, giving the Warriors’ perimeter players more room to operate.
6 Fouls
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As dominant as Green was in the first round in almost all facets of the game, he had a hard time staying out of foul trouble.
Of the four games he appeared in, Green committed at least four personal fouls in three of them and actually ended up fouling out in Game 3.
Granted, when you consider that the Michigan State product was tasked with putting the clamps on New Orleans prodigy Anthony Davis, Green shouldn’t have been expected to play conservative, soft defense.
With Memphis up next, though, Green will be counted on to defend Gasol, Randolph and any number of the Grizzlies’ wing players (Courtney Lee, Jeff Green, etc.). That’s where Lee comes in. Though never known as a great defender, Lee will serve as another big body who Kerr can throw at some of the Memphis bigs.
In doing so, Kerr will not only hope to get Green a few extra minutes of rest in each game, but he'll also do his best to put Green in a position to play freely on defense.
According to The AP, Green was called for two first-quarter fouls in both of the Warriors' previous two meetings with Memphis, resulting in early appearances for Lee.
Golden State can’t afford to have Green glued to the bench in the early going, which is why Lee is going to have to bang down low to save his teammate’s fouls for late-game situations.
Previous Individual Success vs. Memphis
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Over the course of his career, Lee has generally had a lot of individual success whenever he takes the floor opposite Memphis.
In 24 career matchups, the Florida product failed to score in double figures just five times while also hauling in double-digit rebounds in nearly half of those outings (11).
That said, Lee’s teams as a whole haven’t historically performed well against the Grizzlies, going just 8-16 overall. But Lee didn’t have the surrounding cast that he does now.
Curry is playing at an MVP level. Klay Thompson is an All-Star 2-guard. And both Bogut and Green are among the best defenders in the league.
Having such a talented group of guys around him will ensure that he won’t have to come anywhere close to shouldering the load for the Dubs. Lee will be able to fall in line, do his thing and potentially reap the rewards of playing among some of the most impactful teammates he’s had since entering the NBA back in 2005.
Tim MacLean is a Featured Columnist for the Golden State Warriors. Follow him on Twitter for more Warriors and NBA coverage.
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