Why Kerr is faced with toughest task yet in 11th Warriors season

Why Kerr is faced with toughest task yet in 11th Warriors season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – As the Warriors wade into the regular season, they do so with an NBA roster they like, one designed to do plenty of sprinting, scoring and defending while also testing the limits of Steve Kerr’s considerable people skills.

The one thing that could spare the coach a season of challenge is a major trade. That presumably would boost the talent and alleviate the traffic jamming the current roster, which is built for movement.

There are, as of Monday morning, more quality players than there are slots to fill.

“It’s better than the alternative, right?” Kerr, smiling wryly, told NBC Sports Bay Area.

“But you’re asking guys to (pause) . . . this is their career,” he added, turning stone serious. “This is their livelihood. And there’s so much at stake for them individually. The guys who don’t get to play, it’s rough on them. And I feel for them.”

Three or four Warriors will spend most of their days practicing and studying video yet rarely leaving the bench after tipoff. The inactivity could lead to feeling marginalized while constantly hearing their names tossed about the torrent of trade buzz.

What must it feel like to be a capable NBA player on a team that doesn’t need you?

Do you quietly – or loudly – hope for an opportunity elsewhere?

Golden State’s current roster has talent, but most of it is complementary. Draymond Green is elite at what he does, but only Stephen Curry projects as an obvious All-Star. Kerr raves about his team’s depth but bemoans the effect it will have on those outside the rotation and braces for what lies ahead.

“The hardest thing for everybody this year – coaches and players – is that right now I would say we’ve got 13 players who look like they’re rotation players to me,” Kerr, entering his 11th season with Golden State, said last week.

The 13: Kyle Anderson, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Buddy Hield, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jonathan Kuminga, Kevon Looney, De’Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II, Brandin Podziemski, Lindy Waters III and Andrew Wiggins.

“Thirteen guys won’t play, so somebody is going to have to make that tough call,” Green told NBC Sports Bay Area.

“I think it’s a good thing,” Kuminga said of the team’s depth. “It helps all around. From what I’ve been seeing, everybody knows how to play. Everyone is capable of playing.

“It’s going to be hard for coach Steve to pick who is going to play a lot.”

Kerr projects no more than 10 can earn their way into Golden State’s regular rotation. That number will shrink if the Warriors make the playoffs.

Those players not considered rotation fixtures represent Kerr’s most challenging task. Tougher than keeping Green on the court or coaxing the best of Wiggins or modifying Kuminga’s skills to fit neatly into the preferred small forward position.

The starting lineup is trending toward Curry and Wiggins in the backcourt, with Kuminga, Green and Jackson-Davis up front.

The veterans acquired in the offseason – Anderson, Hield and Melton – were hired to play immediately. To buttress the attempt to maximize the Curry-Green window as contenders. Their minutes might vary from night to night, but they can expect significant time.

The same would seem to apply to Payton, a key member of the 2022 championship team, and Podziemski, who is viewed as a future cornerstone. But the coaching staff realizes Melton has more offensive versatility than Payton and more defensive chops than Podziemski.

That’s 10 players, none of which is named Looney or Moody or Waters. The contract extension Moody agreed to on Sunday – three years, $39 million – secures Golden State’s investment in the wing selected in the first round of the 2021 draft. It does not ensure he won’t be used as a trade chip during the season.

Moody once again appears to be a flex guy, in the rotation some nights but on the outside other nights. Kerr is open to adjust his rotation based on matchups, but all indications are that Moody will have the opportunities he has earned.

As for Looney and Waters, both were impressive in training camp and preseason. Both are prepared to contribute but could get crunched by the numbers.

Which brings us to the additional, and potentially complicating, factor of contract status. It involves five players. Looney, Melton, Payton and Waters will be unrestricted free agents next summer. The contract extension deadline for Kuminga is 3 p.m. on Monday. If the deadline passes – as multiple sources anticipate – he becomes a restricted free agent next summer.

All five players long for a handsome new multiyear contract, with Golden State or elsewhere, and they all know nothing deflates value more than sitting on the bench.

Looney, widely respected and always a voice of reason, realizes he is vulnerable but doesn’t sweat it. Though there was legitimate uncertainty in the summer of 2022, each of his trips to unrestricted free agency resulted in returning to the Warriors. That has given him a sense of faith, if not outright security.

He also believes the team’s desire to play at a fast pace could provide opportunities up and down the roster.

“It’s going to be tough with so many guys, but I think Steve is used to that,” Looney told NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s been having to juggle and mix-and-match lineups ever since he got here. I think he likes that. He likes have options, being able to play different styles, different ways, going small, going big, being able to slow it down or speed it up. We’re at our best when we can play multiple styles and not have to lean on one way of playing.”

Style of play might force Kerr to go deeper into his bench. His rotation might be limited to 10, but more might be needed to maintain the preferred pace. The two guys in their mid-30s – Curry and Green – will find their workloads managed.

“There’s going to be nights when Steph and Draymond are off,” Podziemski told NBC Sports Bay Area. “And I’m pretty sure our depth will be needed.”

Still, it is evident this roster is built for a major trade. Ripe for one, too. That usually means moving several good players – and maybe some draft capital – in exchange for one All-Star caliber player. That possibility is very much in play and the volume is expected to rise a bit each week as the Feb. 6 trade deadline approaches.

In the meantime, Kerr will have to manage the far end of his bench with a deft hand. He’ll have to massage egos, show compassion, and keep all parties 13 engaged. The psychiatrist cap he has worn in years could be threadbare by midseason.

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