Utah Jazz vs Golden State Warriors: Depth
As mentioned, the Golden State Warriors enter the 2021-22 season with a somewhat unorthodox depth chart. They’re talented, but they’re also flawed.
Klay Thompson’s return is likely to push 2021-22 breakout player Jordan Poole into a sixth man role that he’s well-equipped for. The 21-year-old combo guard scored a reasonably efficient 22.3 points per 36 minutes last season. With an abundance of shot-creation ability (and little else), Poole fits the sixth man archetype perfectly. It’s the rest of the Warriors’ reserves that pale in comparison to those on the Utah Jazz.
Jonathan Kuminga has the opportunity to be a star in this league someday. That day probably won’t come in 2021-22. The raw forward shot a meager 38.7% from the field for the G-League Ignite last season, showcasing questionable shot selection and overall decision making.
Meanwhile, the Warriors will choose between sophomore James Wiseman and franchise mainstay Kevon Looney as their starting center, which is something of a Sophie’s choice. Last season, the Dubs were plainly awful with Wiseman in the middle His -16.9 efficiency differential placed him the league’s 1st percentile, per CleaningtheGlass.
That leaves Looney looking like the obvious choice, but it’s not exactly an inspired one either. He’s solid, but in all likelihood, he’d be a third-string center on the Utah Jazz, behind Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside.
Which bring us to our central point: the Utah Jazz are much deeper than the Golden State Warriors. In contrast to a club relying on underdeveloped prospects to fill out their rotation, the Jazz roster not only the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, but the runner up as well. Newcomers Gay, Whiteside and Paschall round out a 10-man rotation of NBA players who could at least merit starter consideration on teams across the league.
Even Utah Jazz rookie Jared Butler, while lacking his draft classmate Kuminga’s ceiling, looks NBA ready. It may not be clear that the Utah Jazz will be a better club than the Golden State Warriors heading into the 2021-22 season, but there’s no denying they’ll be a considerably deeper one.