Steve Kerr made a number of different rotation moves to try and find a spark in Saturday’s horror loss to the Indiana Pacers, but it may have been one player he didn’t utilize that had fans most frustrated during the 114-109 defeat.
Will Richard has impressed many (including Kerr) with his two-way impact throughout the early portion of his NBA career, yet the rookie guard was axed from the rotation in a controversial move against the Pacers.
Warriors fans left frustrated by Will Richard’s rotation axing on Saturday
Kerr went 11-deep in the rotation, including giving young forward Gui Santos increased minutes in the second-half as the Brazilian played more than 11 minutes for the first time this season. That proved the right decision as Santos provided some energy that Golden State otherwise lacked, and he arguably should have played more given the 23-year-old finished with five points, four rebounds and as a +6 in the five-point loss.
The bigger frustration for Warrior fans is likely to stem from more first-half minutes for Gary Payton II, with that coming despite Richard entering having averaged more than five minutes more than the veteran guard to start the season.
Payton played just under nine minutes, recording three rebounds and an assist while committing a turnover and three fouls. It was another underwhelming stint from the 2022 champion, suggesting Richard could have made more impact if given the opportunity.
Play Will Richard… pic.twitter.com/rnJVoiGsBn
https://twitter.com/GSWarriorsHouse/status/1984772504158933415?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Interesting that there’s no Will Richard so far tonight.
https://twitter.com/GSWarriorsHouse/status/1984772504158933415?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1984772504158933415%7Ctwgr%5E3204483f6460ff16303793faf31caa5ef1737539%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbluemanhoop.com%2Fsteve-kerr-makes-controversial-axing-warriors-rotation-that-leaves-fans-frustrated
No Will Richard for Nesmith? pic.twitter.com/0yIuc2Nao1
https://twitter.com/JoeVirayNBA/status/1984787802702189046?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1984787802702189046%7Ctwgr%5E3204483f6460ff16303793faf31caa5ef1737539%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbluemanhoop.com%2Fsteve-kerr-makes-controversial-axing-warriors-rotation-that-leaves-fans-frustrated
Richard’s defense in particular has been notable at times to start the season, leaving some disappointment as to why he didn’t see minutes when Aaron Nesmith and Quenton Jackson were so dominant for the Pacers.
Nesmith went into Saturday’s game averaging just 11 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 assist on a paltry 29% shooting from the floor, yet exploded for 31 points and six rebounds on 10-of-19 shooting while being a +10 in 35 minutes against the Warriors.
Jackson’s performance was even more notable given the 27-year-old went in averaging just 5.7 points in his 43 career NBA games, only to go for 25 points and 10 assists which included 12 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting in the final period on Saturday.
There’s a strong chance that Richard will return to the rotation on Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns, having played nearly 12 minutes on Thursday. However, with De’Anthony Melton and Seth Curry likely to be back to the Warriors in the next month, the 22-year-old will want to make the most of whatever opportunity comes his way.
