Inevitable changes for Warriors deep rotation after latest loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
If winning cures all, losing exposes the leaks in your foundation.
The Warriors have now dropped four games in a row after Saturday night’s 113-105 road loss to the Phoenix Suns, sending them from first place in the Western Conference to fourth with a record of 12- 7. Changes seem to be coming.
Steve Kerr’s grand experiment to test Golden State’s depth was far from the norm for an NBA team. Suns coach Mike Budenholzer used four players off the bench against the Warriors, each getting at least 15 minutes. That gave them rhythm without having to look over their shoulder for the next man on the bench, ready to come on for them at the next whistle, and it showed.
Oso Ighodaro played 31 minutes and was a plus-14 with six points on 3-of-4 shooting, eight rebounds and two blocks. Ryan Dunn, plus-8, also had two blocks in 20 minutes, plus two points, four rebounds and two assists. The scoring spark the Suns needed off the bench came from Royce O’Neale and Monte Morris.
O’Neale, plus-15, scored 11 points in 19 minutes, going 4-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 on 3-pointers. Morris saw the least time with the Suns’ reserves, playing 15 minutes but scoring eight points on 3-of-5 shooting and was 2 of 3 from deep. He was a plus-9, with five rebounds, three assists and one steal.
The only Warrior with a positive plus/minus off the bench was Kevon Looney, who posted a plus-1 in 16 minutes.
“It can be hard to find a rhythm sometimes because you don’t know what to expect from game to game,” Looney told reporters in Phoenix. “But I think the boys would do well to stay ready. Everyone knows they will get in one day. … I think with this group we know that at some point he’s going to play all of us and at that point we just have to be ready to bring a spark and energy and make plays.”
“I think we’ve done that for the most part, but when we lose you try to find a reason why we lost and you get a little frustrated, but I think the group stays positive and everyone benefits. of their opportunities.”
However, the opportunities could be shortened up and down the Warriors’ roster.
Even with De’Anthony Melton out for the rest of the season, Kerr used 11 players in the first quarter alone as the Warriors started the game slowly in Phoenix. 14 players saw the field in the first half. But changes were seen before and during the match.
“Yes, we have to think about shortening it,” Kerr said of his deep rotation. “We’ve looked carefully at the combinations we play from game to game, and we have a lot of options. That is not always easy. Sometimes you have too many options. … It gets harder the more people you play.
“If we make cuts, we will talk about it in the coming days. If we do that, then we do that, but over the course of an NBA season, things always come back.”
In the second half against the Suns, neither Moses Moody nor Kyle Anderson got minutes. Kevon Looney opened the second half at center in place of Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Brandin Podziemski, who made multiple threes for the first time in exactly one month, started the game alongside Steph Curry in the backcourt.
When the Warriors started the season 12-3, their bench played otherworldly, averaging 54.2 points per game. But over the course of their four-game losing streak, they averaged 40 points per game.
Kerr is also looking for more minutes for Jonathan Kuminga alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green. Kuminga didn’t make any of his five shots in the first half and was 0-of-7 through three quarters. When Kerr went small in the fourth quarter and played Kuminga next to Green, he made four shots at the rim and nearly propelled the Warriors to a comeback -victory.
Strength in numbers has been the Warriors’ philosophy because of the way their roster is constructed, despite their offseason attempts to find another star to play alongside Curry. There are some positive aspects to seeing so many guys step up and take advantage of their opportunities. As things take a turn for the worse, complications are in the spotlight.
“Everyone has to be ready for what’s asked of them, and when you’re not playing, you have to stay sharp,” Curry said. “It’s extremely difficult, there’s no two ways around it.”
Should the rotation be shorter? That’s not for Curry to say, but even he can’t ignore the tough positions players find themselves in.
“All I want to say is that it is difficult for everyone to find a rhythm and know what is asked of you. … We are a unique team, it is a unique situation. I don’t think it’s been done in the league, probably ever. It’s an 82-game schedule and you have to figure out what adjustments need to be made. We probably need to be a little more predictable from night to night so guys can get a little more rhythm in there. Is that shortened by one or two guys?
“Maybe.”
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