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PHOENIX \u2014 The first of 14 postgame questions sent in Steve Kerr\u2019s direction was a simple one: What was the biggest problem in the Golden State Warriors\u2019 113-105 road loss Saturday night to the Phoenix Suns?<\/p>\n
\u201cPhoenix was our biggest problem,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t play a bad game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kerr pointed to their 28-assist, nine-turnover ratio as a signal of healthy enough offensive flow and felt the Suns\u2019 113 points \u2014 which included 18 3s on 51 percent accuracy \u2014 was a credit to their crisp ball movement and a hot night from their shooters.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a fair assessment. But Phoenix\u2019s sharp night also exposed one of the Warriors\u2019 emerging, predictable problems. Kerr\u2019s 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\u2019s tough for players to grumble and pundits to second-guess a strategy that is working.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re winning, it\u2019s fun,\u201d Steph Curry said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re not, questions pop up.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019Anthony Melton (out for the season), Kerr found a way to use 13 players in the first 15 minutes, perpetually searching for answers without much success.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t love the early part of the second quarter,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have the juice. We didn\u2019t have the energy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kerr was so frustrated with the lack of defensive \u201cforce\u201d and communication, calling it a \u201cmorgue\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
Kerr has continually praised the depth of this Warriors\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
But that even-handed approach has a way of sapping the energy and effort from those bench players who don\u2019t 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\u2019s present and future who are still minimized at the beginning of their fourth season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard as hell,\u201d Curry said. \u201cNo 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\u2019s hard for everybody. Coach\u2019s job is to make those tough decisions. It\u2019s our job to help him. If you\u2019re not playing, don\u2019t pout, don\u2019t bring the locker room down. It doesn\u2019t help anybody. Including yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s night turned from sluggish (0-for-7 shooting) to decently productive (four makes and 10 points down the stretch).<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s not hard to see that Kuminga\u2019s reduced role at a vital moment in his life and career directly correlates with his fluctuating focus and assertiveness.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as you lose, you\u2019re going to have guys that are pissed off,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cI\u2019ve been in their shoes. I used to be pissed off at my coach all the time when he didn\u2019t play me. That was most of my career. This is how it is. It\u2019s the NBA. It\u2019s a competitive, vicious league. Four games ago, we\u2019re on top of the world. Everybody\u2019s happy. Now we\u2019ve lost four in a row. Everybody\u2019s pissed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody\u2019s voice in the locker room is more measured and more respected than Curry\u2019s. He was asked directly if the rotation needed to be shortened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo we need to shorten it?\u201d Curry said. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nSteph Curry on the 13-man rotation: \u201cDo we need to shorten it? 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.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/jgHik5vDMm<\/a><\/p>\n
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 1, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n