SAN FRANCISCO – Warriors coach Steve Kerr has fully embraced the idea of going deep into his bench on any given night, a formula that has worked fairly well so far and will be even more important if two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry’s ankle injury sidelines him for very long.
That depth was a big factor in Golden State winning those first two games. It’ll be an even more important factor depending on how long Curry will be out.
Curry left the Warriors' 112-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday after aggravating an ankle injury that he sustained earlier in the game. The full extent of the injury won’t be known for certain until Curry undergoes a series of tests on Tuesday.
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Obviously the Warriors are a much better team when Curry is healthy and on the court, and they won’t be the same if he’s sidelined for very long.
But with a roster that Kerr has previously referred to as the deepest that he’s coached, the drop-off might not be as bad as it once was.
In the world of cliches, the Warriors are in a next-man-up mentality while they await word on Curry’s condition. In actuality, Kerr had his players in that mentality before the season began and everyone seems to have bought in.
“I kind of like it. It keeps everybody fresh,” Gary Payton II said. “If somebody’s not going, we got another guy to come in and get going. If somebody’s hot, Steve will probably rock with him or rock with that unit.
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“You gotta stay ready. You never know what direction he might go in. We got 12 guys so it could be anybody.”
That’s been the pattern that Kerr has used thus far. The Warriors used 13 players in the loss to the Clippers, with 12 of them logging at least 13 ½ minutes of playing time. Against the Utah Jazz on Saturday, Kerr used 14 players with the core 12 getting at least 12:45 minutes of playing time. In the season-opener at Portland two nights before that, Kerr again leaned on 14 players with 12 clocking at least 14 minutes on the court.
While the depth gives Kerr flexibility and options with his rotations, it also leads to reduced playing time for some players.
Kerr specifically pointed out how Kyle Anderson handled playing fewer than four minutes. Rather than sulk or pout, Anderson stayed engaged with the team and didn’t make a fuss about it.
“That’s what you have to have if you’re going to do this and play a lot of people,” Kerr said. “Everyone’s gotta be on board. I couldn’t have been more impressed by Kyle’s professionalism. But every game’s going to be a little different.
“Somebody texted me like, ‘Hey 12 guys, it’s a real democracy.’ I said as soon as we lose it’s going to be communism. That’s the truth. The results dictate the judgment, and that’s the business we’re in. I have to do what I think is best for our team. Generally speaking, that changes throughout the year in a 82-game season. We have to be ready to adapt, but I like the commitment that the guys have made.”