NBA Rumors: Klay Thompson Says Warriors’ Starting Lineup Could Be A ‘Team USA Starting Five’
The Golden State Warriors continue to grow stronger since finding their way back to the NBA Finals in 2015. From the roster that won 73 regular season games, the Warriors now have a starting line up featuring five NBA All-Stars: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and DeMarcus Cousins. Despite the improvements made by several NBA title contenders, it is hardly a surprise as to why the Warriors remain as the heavy favorite to win the NBA championship title in the 2018-19 NBA season.
According to ESPN, Klay Thompson is very thankful that he got the opportunity to play for a great team like the Warriors. Thompson believes that Golden State’s starting lineup “could be a Team USA starting five.”
“I think our starting five could be a Team USA starting five,” Thompson said. “That’s how good it is. I’m very grateful to be in this position, not a lot of players ever experience something like this in any sport.”
Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr shared Thompson’s sentiment, saying that he’s lucky to coach a team that has multiple future NBA Hall of Famers. However, despite having a solid chance at taking home the Larry O’Brien Trophy this season, Kerr wants his players to avoid being overconfident, and focus on improving their performance on both ends of the floor.
The arrival of DeMarcus Cousins in free agency has undeniably made the Warriors a more dangerous team. However, as ESPN‘s Nick Friedell noted, the Warriors are still having some issues when Cousins is on the floor.
“The Warriors are being outscored by four points in the 373 minutes Cousins has played since making his season debut. They’ve also been outscored by two points in the 151 minutes that Curry, Thompson, Durant, Green and Cousins have shared the court.”
DeMarcus Cousins has exceeded the Warriors coaching staff's expectations in one specific area https://t.co/AFWMNIl0cg pic.twitter.com/RJjtX95wr0
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 27, 2019
The Warriors have won 13 out of 16 games since DeMarcus Cousins returned from an injury. As the time of writing, the 28-year-old center is averaging 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.3 steals on 45.1 percent shooting from the field. However, in most of the games where he served as the Warriors’ starting center, Cousins posted a negative plus/minus.
From the time they signed DeMarcus Cousins, the Warriors already knew that placing him on the starting lineup would be a tough task, especially knowing that “Boogie” spent most of his NBA career as a team’s main man. However, since joining the Warriors, Cousins has shown his willingness to make a huge adjustment in his game in order to make himself fit within their system. If Cousin manages to build better chemistry with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green before the real battle begins in the Western Conference Playoffs, it will be easier for the Warriors to win their third consecutive NBA championship title.
