After the Warriors barely beat the struggling Blazers, Steve Kerr’s attitude was noticeably different when his starting lineup produced lacklustre results once more.
The franchise was saved only by Steph Curry’s brilliance and the impact of rising star Jonathan Kuminga off the bench.
Time is off the essence for the championship core of the Warriors and Kerr isn’t happy with the way things are panning out.
“The puzzle hasn’t fit this year,” Kerr told reporters after the Warriors’ 110-106 win over the Blazers. “We’ve had a lot of guys playing well, but we may have to think about moving the starting lineup around from game to game depending on who we are facing. I’d still prefer to get something solid, but we haven’t established anything this year. We’re a quarter of a way through so there is a lot of thought that has to go into this.”
Moses Moody also contributed well off the bench against Portland after scoring 12 points. But as has been the same story all season, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins could not connect their shots. The pair shot 6 of 25.
“I’ve really been patient and hoping to get our starting unit from the last couple of years into a good groove,” Kerr said. “It’s easier to play and to coach when everybody knows exactly where they fit in. And role players, it’s easier to play a role when there is a set rotation and the stars are playing well so the puzzle fits.”
Kerr explained that he may have to make the roster more fluid in order for things to work.
“Every night is going to be different with this team, that’s what I am figuring out,” Kerr said. “What we need each night seems to be different depending on the matchup, depending on how the game is going. It’s hard to predict what is going to happen each night, it’s also hard to play 10 to 11 guys. … We don’t have roster clarity in terms of who’s going to play every single night.”
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