The Golden State Warriors have been a sinking ship lately, with six consecutive road losses ⊠and five more road games before returning to the cozy confines of the Chase Center. And in an attempt to help the team reverse course, coach Steve Kerr is switching things up.
Ahead of Wednesdayâs game against the San Antonio Spurs, Kerr revealed that the team is trying out a new starting five: their Hall of Fame trio of Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler III, and Draymond Green, alongside fifth-year wing Moses Moody and rookie Will Richard.
On paper, itâs a starting lineup that makes a world of sense. The team has been struggling defensively, especially on the perimeter, and Moody is the teamâs top point of attack defender. On the offensive side, theyâve grown fairly stagnant, and the combination of the spacing that Moody and Richard provide, with the constant cuts that Richard makes, should open things up a bit.
But itâs hard not to view the move as an indictment of Jonathan Kuminga. While Kuminga was questionable for Wednesdayâs game with knee soreness, that does not appear to be driving the change. Kuminga is cleared for Wednesdayâs game, with Kerr telling the media that itâs time for a rotation change. Thatâs certainly a dramatic shift from the early part of the season, where Kerr stated that Kuminga had earned the role of everyday starter, and was not a piece who they were re-evaluating for each game.
Kerrâs move comes after some fairly pointed comments from Green following Tuesdayâs loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The teamâs emotional leader called out his teammates for not being committed to winning, and said that players need to do a better job of balancing personal agendas with team needs. Prior to Wednesdayâs game, Kerr agreed with some of Greenâs assessment, while diplomatically clarifying that the lack of commitment is ânot anyoneâs fault,â and that no one is âplaying selfishly.â
Kerr did specify that Warriors players are holding onto the ball more than normal over the last few games, and, while that is probably a comment that applies to most of the roster, it would seem most likely to be true of Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski. Over the last five games, Kuminga has 14 assists against 17 turnovers, while both players have been getting the bulk of their shots in isolation rather than within the flow of the offense.
