The Warriors have been unable to find their groove with their lineups this season, and with so many promising rookies and old favorites vying for a spot, head coach Steve Kerr has his work cut out for him.
In the absence of Draymond Green (suspension), things finally started to click as the team has gone 5-2 since Green’s been sidelined.
Gary Payton II is set to return to the court soon after suffering a calf injury, and Green may make his return as early as January, so Kerr will certainly have some difficult decisions head of him.
“I think about it every day,” Kerr told reporters after practice on December 27. “That is my job, of course.”
“It’s really hard. Some years, it’s just really obvious who your top nine are, and you just roll with those guys. The guys ten to 14 understand their roles, and you work with them. You try to fit them in to keep them going.
“This year is very different in that regard. We can play 13 guys in the rotation. Any one of them and every one of them is qualified to be out there and could make the case that they should be out there, but you can only play nine or ten. Very difficult decisions.”
Kerr has recently been starting Curry, rising rookie Brandin Podziemski, Klay Thompson, Jonathan Kuminga and Kevon Looney, which has yielded results.
The above starting five has been 14.5 points better per 100 possessions.
The original unit included Green and Wiggins instead of Podziemski and Kuminga.
“[Having] Gary back, getting Draymond back, those questions get louder, and we have to figure that out as a staff,” Kerr said.
With an ageing roster and a superstar in Steph Curry having to lead the team every single night, something has got to give at Golden State.