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What changes are needed to the Warriors' suddenly struggling 13-man rotation?

1 December 2024Last Update :
What changes are needed to the Warriors' suddenly struggling 13-man rotation?

PHOENIX — The first of 14 postgame questions sent in Steve Kerr’s direction was a simple one: What was the biggest problem in the Golden State Warriors’ 113-105 road loss Saturday night to the Phoenix Suns?

“Phoenix was our biggest problem,” Kerr said. “We didn’t play a bad game.”

Kerr pointed to their 28-assist, nine-turnover ratio as a signal of healthy enough offensive flow and felt the Suns’ 113 points — which included 18 3s on 51 percent accuracy — was a credit to their crisp ball movement and a hot night from their shooters.

It’s a fair assessment. But Phoenix’s sharp night also exposed one of the Warriors’ emerging, predictable problems. Kerr’s willingness to go 13 deep into his rotation landed fine when they were blowing teams out and piling up a 12-3 record through 15 games. It’s tough for players to grumble and pundits to second-guess a strategy that is working.

“When you’re winning, it’s fun,” Steph Curry said. “When you’re not, questions pop up.”

The Warriors have now lost four consecutive games. That constitutes a cold enough stretch in the crowded West to reassess before everything snowballs. Against the Suns, even without the injured De’Anthony Melton (gone for the season), Kerr found a way to use 13 players in the first 15 minutes, perpetually searching for answers without much success.

“I didn’t love the early part of the second quarter,” Kerr said. “We didn’t have the juice. We didn’t have the energy.”

Kerr was so frustrated with the lack of defensive “force” and communication, calling it a “morgue” in the middle portion of the first half, he pulled the plug on a few of his lineup choices, moved away from Moses Moody and Kyle Anderson, limited Jonathan Kuminga to seven quiet first half minutes and tried out Lindy Waters III and two-way point guard Pat Spencer.

Kerr has continually praised the depth of this Warriors’ roster. Waters is essentially the 13th man and Kerr values him enough to give him a recent crack at the starting shooting guard slot after Melton went down. He liked what Spencer gave when they needed a spark against the Thunder, so he rewarded him with more backup point guard minutes in Phoenix.

But that even-handed approach has a way of sapping the energy and effort from those bench players who don’t get the extended run they feel like they deserve and need for rhythm and routine purposes. It has fairly clearly impacted Kuminga and Moody, two former lottery picks and crucial players to the team’s present and future who are still minimized at the beginning of their fourth season.

“It’s hard as hell,” Curry said. “No two ways around it. Mo played two minutes tonight. Kyle played seven. Two games ago, Mo had a stretch where he had 15 (points) and then played four minutes in the second half. It’s hard for everybody. Coach’s job is to make those tough decisions. It’s our job to help him. If you’re not playing, don’t pout, don’t bring the locker room down. It doesn’t help anybody. Including yourself.”

After a rough stretch to open the fourth quarter with Waters and Spencer on the floor, Kerr went back to a small-ball unit with Kuminga at the power forward next to Draymond Green. It sparked a near comeback and Kuminga’s night turned from sluggish (0-for-7 shooting) to decently productive (four makes and 10 points down the stretch).

But it’s not hard to see that Kuminga’s reduced role at a vital moment in his life and career directly correlates with his fluctuating focus and assertiveness.

“As soon as you lose, you’re going to have guys that are pissed off,” Kerr said. “I’ve been in their shoes. I used to be pissed off at my coach all the time when he didn’t play me. That was most of my career. This is how it is. It’s the NBA. It’s a competitive, vicious league. Four games ago, we’re on top of the world. Everybody’s happy. Now we’ve lost four in a row. Everybody’s pissed.”

Nobody’s voice in the locker room is more measured and more respected than Curry’s. He was asked directly if the rotation needed to be shortened.

“Do we need to shorten it?” Curry said. “We probably need to be more predictable on a night-to-night basis so guys can get a little bit of a rhythm. Is that shortening it one or two guys? Maybe.”

So what exactly might a shortened rotation look like in the near future? Kerr mentioned it as a distinct possibility as they reset with practices in Phoenix and Denver the next two days before a road NBA Cup game against the Nuggets on Tuesday night.

Saturday night gave a few hints. Kerr replaced Waters in the starting lineup with Brandin Podziemski, who is slowly generating some traction after a prolonged slump. Podziemski scored eight quick points against the Suns, 12 total, and played 33 minutes. If he starts, Waters could get pushed back out of a shortened rotation.

“We wanted to get Brandin with that first group. We feel like he is best suited to be a secondary ballhandler playing off Steph and Draymond because he’s great attacking closeouts. I like how he looked out there tonight.”

In the second half, Kerr started Kevon Looney in Trayce Jackson-Davis’ place. Jackson-Davis hasn’t been very effective to open his second season and had his shot blocked a few times against the Suns. He was limited to 15 minutes and, though Kerr said the Looney insertion was about a specific defensive coverage they wanted to deploy against the Suns, he did acknowledge Looney might slide back into the starting center slot, which could nudge Jackson-Davis toward the rotation’s edge.

Then there’s Kuminga. The fewer minutes that the Warriors play with either center on the floor, the more often they will be able to get Kuminga in a more comfortable, spread setting, which should better allow him to flourish. That feels like the most necessary step to raise this team’s ceiling (outside of a substantial trade before the deadline).

This was the Warriors’ lineup during their Saturday night closing flurry: Curry, Podziemski, Wiggins, Kuminga and Green, perhaps the five-man unit that could see more extended run in future games.

“Can we get him more minutes with Steph and Draymond?” Kerr said of Kuminga. “He’s better with those guys. Most guys are. We have a lot of things to think about.”

(Photo of Brandin Podziemski defending Devin Booker: Chris Coduto / Getty Images)

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