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Graham Ike's two starts show how thin the Golden State Warriors are at center
Undrafted rookie Graham Ike started twice for the Warriors and had a double-double at Phoenix, then fell out of the rotation as Golden State won two straight.
Graham Ike went undrafted in June. Within a week of his first NBA regular-season game, he had started twice at center for the Golden State Warriors and recorded a double-double. Then the healthy veterans returned and he dropped out of the rotation, a quick turn that says more about Golden State's frontcourt depth than about where the former Gonzaga forward stands.
SB Nation covered Ike's week in its roundup of Gonzaga players in the NBA. His first start came on October 23 against Memphis, when he scored 10 points in 12 minutes and made both of his three-point attempts. The next night in Phoenix, on the second half of a back-to-back, he started again and finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and a steal in 26 minutes. The Warriors lost 131-122, with Devin Booker scoring 40 for the Suns.
CBS Sports noted that Golden State was missing several regular rotation players that night, and said Ike's play across his first three games exposed how little center depth the team has. NBC Sports wrote that he looked more settled against Phoenix's Khaman Maluach than he had a night earlier against Memphis' Zach Edey. Before the back-to-back, the outlet had pointed out that Al Horford had not played both ends of one in several years, which helped open the door.
The opening did not stay open. NBA.com game logs show Ike played three minutes in Monday's win in Denver, his home state, and the Yahoo Sports box score lists him as a coach's decision DNP in Wednesday's win at Minnesota. Ike signed an Exhibit 10 deal on June 26 and was moved to a two-way contract in September. SB Nation pointed out that Golden State is the oldest roster in the league, which leaves room for a young big man to get minutes when the veterans need rest.
What it means for Friday against the Lakers
Golden State is 2-3 and comes home Friday to host the Los Angeles Lakers on Prime Video. That is a rematch of the opener, when the Lakers beat the Warriors 127-105. The Warriors then lost close games to Memphis (111-108) and Phoenix before turning things around on the road. They beat Denver 134-114, then won 119-114 at Minnesota behind a season-high 44 points from Stephen Curry and 26 from rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, ESPN reported.
The two-game winning streak came with the regular frontcourt back and Ike barely playing, so his role against the Lakers depends on availability more than form. If Golden State is short a big again, his Phoenix night is the best evidence the staff has that he can handle starter's minutes on the glass. If everyone is healthy, Ike is likely to stay at the end of the bench.