The Golden State Warriors have lost seven games this season. Stephen Curry played in six of those losses, and in half of those games, the Warriors actually won the minutes he played. Saturday was no different, as the Warriors outscored the Phoenix Suns by four points thanks to Curry’s performance, but the Suns ultimately won 113-105.
It’s not uncommon for teams to lose games on the bench, but consider Curry’s playing time in these games. Curry has not played more than 33 minutes of stoppage time this season. Meanwhile, Steve Kerr is deeper into the bench than any other coach in the NBA. A typical NBA coach uses nine or 10 players in a regular season game. A particularly aggressive coach like Tom Thibodeau might reduce that number to eight. In some cases, some people extend that number to 11.
But on Saturday, Kerr had all 13 active players at his disposal. 13 is a little higher than normal, but 12 is the norm in Golden State and 11 is about the bare minimum. And after Saturday’s loss, Curry hinted that it might be time to implement a more traditional rotation.
“It’s hard for everyone trying to get into a rhythm…it’s hard,” Curry said. “We’re a unique team, we’re in a unique situation. I don’t think it’s ever been done in the league before. But this is an 82-game schedule. We understand what adjustments we need to make. Must be. To your question, does it need to be shortened? We need to make it more predictable from night to night so players can gradually find a rhythm, right? Maybe one or two people will be shortened? ”
The Warriors are currently on a four-game losing streak, but with a tough schedule ahead, some adjustments will be necessary to stay near the top of the Western Conference. It seemed likely that the rotation would be cut down after key wing De’Anthony Melton suffered a season-ending ACL injury, but Kerr simply went to the bench and was replaced by former undrafted free agent Pat Spencer. He only received rotation minutes in Golden State’s final two games.
Throughout an 82-game season, depth will be critical. This is the best defense against injuries, and a team built around older stars like Golden State is likely to deal with some injuries in the coming months. But Curry has a point about rhythm. It’s difficult for anyone to play their best basketball when playing time is inconsistent. By playing more of their best players, the Warriors could get much more out of them while preserving more bench members for when they might be needed later in the season. .
