There’s been a record scratch to Golden State’s hot start to the season the team has dropped four games in a row, with a bottom-10 offense and defense in that stretch. The issue has not been Stephen Curry, or for that matter Andrew Wiggins and Buddy Hield.
However, much of the rest of the 12-man rotation coach Steve Kerr leaned into to start the season has fallen off. As NBC Sports Bay Area noted, in the last six games, Jonathan Kuminga is 5-of-25 on 3-pointers, Moses Moody is 3-of-16, Brandin Podziemski is 5-of-25, and Lindy Waters is 9-of-31. This has led to questions about whether the inconsistency of a player rotations and minutes has played a part in this slump.
Curry thinks it might help, speaking to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
“Do we need to shorten it?” Curry said. “We probably need to be more predictable on a night-to-night basis so guys can get a little bit of a rhythm. Is that shortening it one or two guys? Maybe.
“It’s hard as hell,” Curry said. “No two ways around it. Mo played two minutes tonight. Kyle played seven. Two games ago, Mo had a stretch where he had 15 (points) and then played four minutes in the second half. It’s hard for everybody. Coach’s job is to make those tough decisions. It’s our job to help him. If you’re not playing, don’t pout, don’t bring the locker room down. It doesn’t help anybody. Including yourself.
Kevon Looney added this, via Monte Poole at NBC Sports Bay Area.
“It can get difficult at times to find a rhythm, not knowing what to expect from game to game,” Kevon Looney said. “But our guys are doing a good job of staying ready. Everybody knows that they’re going to get in at some point.
“(Kerr is) going to play all of us at some point. Just got to be ready at that time in the game to make a spark and bring energy and make plays.
It’s something to watch. The Warriors have a couple of tough games coming up against Denver (an NBA Cup game, but the Warriors already clinched the group while the Nuggets are not mathematically eliminated with two losses they are in practical terms) and Houston. We will see if Kerr shrinks his rotations, just a little, or if he will try to ride this depth further.