David Lee has been troubled by a hamstring injury over the past few weeks that has forced him to miss multiple games. The Golden State Warriors have proven in the past that they can win without their All-Star power forward. They defeated the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs last season without Lee for basically the entire series. In Lee's absence, young guys like Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes stepped up and played very well.
The circumstances that the Warriors were faced with last postseason are very different than this season's. The signing of Andre Iguodala has somewhat cramped the growth of Harrison Barnes, while Draymond Green has arguably become a better player than Barnes.
Nobody on the Warriors roster can replace David Lee's offensive production, but they can definitely improve on his defensive intensity. Lee's defense is a liability that often times leads to easy baskets for opposing teams.
The Warriors signed veteran power forward Marreese Speights in the offseason to be David Lee's backup, but he hasn't quite panned out like the organization hoped. Speights can score and rebound at a high level, but his defensive ability is terrible. That has been the main reason why he hasn't seen consistent minutes all season.
The question is, can the Warriors make a deep playoff run without David Lee? It wouldn't be realistic to say that the Warriors don't want Lee to play. Lee is that third scorer, and sometimes second scorer, that will be crucial in the playoffs when teams decide to double team Stephen Curry.
Harrison Barnes played very well when David Lee was out last postseason, but Barnes hasn't played as well this season. Mark Jackson probably wouldn't have the patience to go with Barnes in the starting lineup because he can get much more consistent play from someone like Draymond Green. Green can play and defend against multiple positions, is a capable shooter, plays with an edge, and can rebound at an elite level. Barnes, on the other hand, is basically a volume scorer and an average defender.
Based on the small sample size this season and last postseason, the Warriors need David Lee in the lineup to be successful. He is a great post scorer and rebounds extremely well. Even though his defense is suspect at best, his offensive abilities often trump his defensive woes. If need be, Mark Jackson will go to someone like Draymond Green in big spots to improve on the defensive end.
One interesting thing that Mark Jackson could try would be to bring Lee off the bench and start Green to add to the bench scoring production. The biggest problem with that would be that it would take away a lot of defense from a below average defensive unit even with Green.
Not only are the Warriors better with Lee, but they won't go far if he is out for an extended period of time in the playoffs. Opposing teams are going to key in on the Warriors' perimeter shooting, which means Lee (or whoever assumes his role) will be getting a lot of touches in pick and roll situations. Lee is very skilled at catching the ball on the move in the pick and roll and making the right play. Looking ahead to the playoffs, the Warriors need all hands on deck including Lee, to make a deep run.
