The Golden State Warriors have struggled to find their rhythm and any consistency this year. That has resulted in them being placed ninth in the Western Conference with a 7-6 record so far in the season.
But their 125-120 win against the San Antonio Spurs has rekindled the fire in the Stephen Curry-led franchise. Head coach Steve Kerr talked about the decisions made for last night and how it all came together on the sports radio show, ‘Willard & Dibbs.’
“Last night’s starting lineup was built with the idea of finding our rhythm, getting back in sync, getting back to our identity… I’ve always felt Steph and Draymond need passing and cutting around them, and Jimmy needs shooting around him,” Kerr offered.
“At the end of last year, we found a groove with Moses, and we went 23-8 with that group… But Moses missed the first two weeks of training camp. So we got away from that.”
Jonathan Kuminga was a part of their trial starting lineups, but his off-ball movement and stationery playmaking don’t aid the Warriors’ needs as much as they’d like. He’s averaged 13.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, shooting 47.8% from the field and 32.4% from beyond the arc.
“And because JK was playing really well, and we were winning games, you guys asked me then, if this is our starting lineup, and I said this is our starting lineup going forward. Now, going forward does not mean forever; it just means going forward. And I would say the same thing now.”
Thus, they’ve gone with Richard in the starting lineup, who might be a rookie but can play in the style that Kerr expects. The starting lineup for the Spurs game was Moses Moody, Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Will Richard. Despite such a star-studded lineup, he was thoroughly impressed by their 56th pick in this year’s draft, Richard.
“Watching Will [Richard] cut and distribute and create the space that Steph needs and Jimmy needs with his shooting, and then watching Moses [Moody] guard the ball so well, and he’s in a great groove shooting the ball. I’m going forward with this group. We’ll see how long it lasts, but I liked what I saw last night,” Kerr added.
Richard did not bounce out from the stat sheet. He had three points, a rebound, and an assist in the 22 minutes that he played. But, it was his off-ball movement, precise cutting, and selfless playing style that have put him in high regard for the Warriors veterans and the head coach.
This season, the former Florida Gators player has averaged 9.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, shooting 44% from the three-point line and 60% from the field.
The Warriors under Kerr and Curry have worked best when they have a lot of movement going on in their offense. Whether the movement is coming from the players or is a result of their passing, running around, or making the defense run around has given the Warriors some of their best moments in the last decade.
Richard’s addition to the lineup came after a lot of red flags were raised by the Warriors locker room over their commitment to winning. Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler both raised issues that hinted at tension brewing in the locker room. Amidst this, Richard has been able to impress the veterans through his work ethic.
But that does not mean that Jonathan Kuminga’s completely lost his spot. Kuminga’s position in the team has been a longstanding debate. Even last year, with Butler’s entry, there was a visible struggle in the team to find a fitting place for the talented 23-year-old power forward.
Now another tragedy has struck Kuminga. During the Warriors vs Spurs game, he was taken out of the game because of knee soreness, which was diagnosed as bilateral patellar tendonitis. So, despite proving that he can be a solid two-way player with high production value, he still has no guarantee about getting his starting role once he gets fit.
But not all hope is lost, as Kerr said, they still see Kuminga as a solid contributor, and the move to the bench is not permanent. So he can continue to prove himself and earn back the starter role.
Things could get ugly between Kuminga and the team because once again, they’re standing at a cross-section where the team doesn’t know how best to use his talent, and he can’t seem to mould his game anymore to fit the requirements of the coaching staff.
