The Golden State Warriors put on a show against the Sacramento Kings as they walked out of the game with a 130-125 win on their home court. The negative about the win is that the Warriors had a big lead with 6 minutes to gin the fourth quarter when Steve Kerr subbed in the bench lineup with the likes of Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga.
The bench lineup got blitzed by the Kings, as they made a quick comeback and forced the Warriors to sub in their started again. Kerr was not pleased with the bench’s performance and let them hear it after the game.
“The main thing was just our lack of energy. You’ve got a group of reserves out there, those guys should be dying to be on the floor, and flying around and playing with huge energy. That was what I was upset about… There was no juice, no life to that group.”
“We’re gonna have to find what we’re looking for in terms of energy and leadership. It’s not entirely fair to them to put all those guys together. But this is a tough league. It’s sink or swim, and you gotta figure it out.” (h/t ClutchPoints)
Through the first few games of the season, Kerr has been playing all-bench lineups for extended minutes without a veteran leading them to check their utility. While it hasn’t worked out well so far, the young players will only get better over the season.
Can This Mix Of Youth And Veterans Get It Done?
Last season, the Golden State Warriors relied on a lot of experienced heads to get them through the season. They had signed the likes of Otto Porter Jr., Nemanja Bjelica, and Gary Payton II, who all were older players who could adjust to whatever Golden State needed.
All those players have left and been replaced by the young players who were already there, like Moody and Kuminga, along with signing Donte DiVincenzo. This year’s roster will need players like Kuminga to make an impact when they get minutes.
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have built a dynasty and have guaranteed their production for the squad. Jordan Poole has become a consistent scorer as well, so now it is time that the others can find the sweet spot for what they need to do and execute it perfectly. The Warriors definitely have the talent to win a title, it depends on whether they can actually balance their roster well enough for it not to hurt them in the playoffs.
