SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors coaching staff, partially because of some player-led nudging, tried out a taller but spatially-challenged starting lineup the first three games, planting Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis next to Steph Curry.
The theory: Curry’s greatness could help alleviate some of the obvious offensive pitfalls and the extra size on the wing and in the frontcourt would eventually mold into a great defensive unit. Green, quite clearly, wants a center next to him to open games. The Warriors still view Wiggins as a must-start player. Kuminga, entering his fourth season searching for his first big contract, has shown enough to stake claim to a starting job.
So this jumbo unit was the compromise. Coach Steve Kerr intended to give it a long runway. Those around the team estimated at least 10 or more games of a sample before he’d decide on whether to stick with it. Green has been a continued advocate. It’s very possible Kerr will turn back to it soon.
But a problem presented itself entering the season’s fourth game. Curry sprained his ankle and is currently out. Without him, Kerr and his staff felt the spacing issues too stark with Kuminga, Green and Jackson-Davis in the frontcourt together. They still wanted a center next to Green. So they moved Kuminga to the bench and started Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield (in place of the injured Wiggins).
“I told him before the game: ‘You’re going to play a lot. This is just about combinations and getting a little more spacing on the start,’” Kerr said of Kuminga. “All it is is just shuffling the lineup to get the right five-man grouping.”
This was a decision attached to plenty of internal angst because of what it represented. This is supposed to be the ascendant moment in Kuminga’s career and — in a game where the Warriors were missing Curry and Wiggins, their two best scorers — instead of elevating Kuminga, this signaled to the public a demotion even if the eventual minute allotment signaled otherwise.
Kuminga entered in the middle of the first quarter and played 15 minutes straight. He scored 10 in the first half, mixed into a bunch of lineup combinations that mostly had him as a power forward, the position that Kerr has said he feels better fits Kuminga than small forward, an opinion that differs from Green’s and Kuminga’s.
“I knew it would be a JK game,” Kerr said. “I knew he would play a lot. He’s played well against this team. The matchups are good for him.”
Kuminga entered with 5:10 left in the third quarter and had his best segment of the early season. He was in a lineup combination that included Kyle Anderson and Lindy Waters III. That was the Warriors’ most used trio in their 124-106 win over the Pelicans. In 17 minutes together, they were a plus-8.
Kuminga finished with season highs in both minutes (28) and points (17). He hit a wing 3 and went 5-of-10 on 2s. He got to the line four times and attacked the rim with a bit more force, perhaps helped by a bit more space.
“JK was great,” Kerr said. “We’re going to need him. He’s our most athletic player. There’s games like tonight where we have to have him. There are other games where maybe things aren’t going his way and that is OK. This is about winning. This is a deep team. The thing I’ve asked all these guys to do is just commit. Every night is going to be different.”
Kuminga was asked in the locker room postgame whether he cared about the move to the bench.
“It wasn’t my decision,” Kuminga said. “It was the man himself, Coach Steve Kerr’s decision. It wasn’t my decision.”
Kerr said he told Kuminga pregame that he was going to play a lot regardless.
“Nah,” Kuminga said. “I think he told me I was going to play with Draymond at the four and Gary (Payton II) at the three. But, you know, the more you play good, the more you get minutes. At the end of the day, I’m still a professional. I’m going to do what I gotta do. At the end of the day, it’s his decision.”
Kuminga was asked about the lineup combination part of the equation, which stems back to the debate about his natural NBA position.
“I feel like I still went back in there at the (small forward) and it did not change anything,” Kuminga said. “Maybe it was just trying to see something else. I don’t know. It wasn’t my decision. I got a text: ‘This is how it’s going to work. This is how it’s going to look. This is how it’s going to be.’ I went with it.”
Kuminga said the text from Kerr came pregame.
“Yeah and I went with it,” Kuminga said. “What else am I going to brag about it and say: ‘Why am I not starting?’ No. It’s his decision. He’s the coach. I guess we gonna follow what he’s going to do.”
The Warriors’ built-out depth showed itself well against the Pelicans. Without Curry, Wiggins and De’Anthony Melton, they overcame a 17-point first quarter hole and won by 18 points, a 35-point in-game flip.
Hield, a bargain offseason signing, scored 25 second-half points and made all six of his 3s. Waters, acquired via a draft day trade from the Thunder for the 52nd pick, made his rotation debut and flipped the game, scoring 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, adding eight rebounds, four assists and a steal. He was a plus-26. Kerr started him in the second half and he could start on Wednesday in the rematch against the Pelicans.
“From day one of camp, this guy has been one of our best players, frankly,” Kerr said of Waters.
Steve Kerr on Lindy Waters: “From day one of camp, this guy has been one of our best players, frankly.” pic.twitter.com/SgyQQG55aC
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 30, 2024
Said Waters of his ability to stay ready: “I got a strap on me. I just wake up and I can shoot it, no matter if I’m playing or not.”
Waters’ emergence only intensifies the Warriors’ crowded and evolving rotational puzzle. Kerr joked postgame that, when fully healthy, he would stretch it from a 12-man to a 13-man rotation to include Waters. That won’t actually happen, but it’s plausible that Waters will shove a few people down the congested ladder if he keeps making a strong case for a climb.
But what ultimately matters is the win-loss column. These rotational choices land a whole lot better in the locker room and in public when attached to success. The Warriors are currently an impressive 3-1 and passed their first test without Curry in the lineup. Their next challenge comes on Wednesday night against the same Pelicans team as Kerr contemplates another night of tough lineup choices.
(Top photo of Jonathan Kuminga: Cary Edmondson / Imagn Images)
