How Steve Kerr Miraculously Transformed The Careers Of the Golden State Warriors’ Bench

Once again, Golden State Warriors’ detractors mustered just enough courage to emerge from the woodwork to accuse the Western Conference leaders of fraud.  The typical scrutiny facing the team’s sustainability in the playoffs was turned up full blast following the second half of the team’s most recent two-game skid during last Friday’s double-digit loss to the lowly Jazz .

In what has become a bit of a tradition this season following each of the Warrior’s now signature two game losing streaks, the growing contingency of Warrior skeptics seize the brief moment of weakness by stepping up their efforts of belittling the record-setting first half of the season Steve Kerr and his team have displayed.  Last Friday’s loss to a non-playoff team with the team’s defensive anchor and high post facilitator in the line-up was the most fuel the non-believer’s fire has received, as a result the buzz of skepticism built to an inescapable high-pitched shrill – annoying, mindless and offensive.

The detractors’ feeble attempts to discredit come with the territory for any Alpha Dog.  The unprecedented winning percentage posted by the recently named NBA Coach of the Month and his team (made up almost entirely of last year’s Western Conference six-seed) has made Golden State’s pre-All-Star break run a difficult one to understand.  The widespread befuddlement has created a natural fear that has only amplified resentment for the Western Conference’s top dog.

While the rise to superstardom by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and the highly-debated Defensive Player of the Year candidate Draymond Green have no doubt been a lot to take in, the most dumbfounding and therefore greatest fear of Warrior doubters may very well be the eclectic Golden State Warriors’ bench group that the team’s rookie coach and staff has managed to mold into one of the best benches in the league.

Kerr’s transparent policy of distributing minutes as the situation dictates for each reserve in their roles has made life on his bench somewhat of a rollercoaster ride.  Each of the seven reserves who have played consistent minutes in the team’s regular rotation have experienced their playing time in the form of peaks and valleys.

Marreese Speights

The clear-cut star of the reserves this season has been Mo-Buckets, Marreese Speights, who at one point flirted with a spot among the league’s best in PER, and while he is no longer the odds on favorite  for the league’s 6th man Award, he is certainly still in the running.  However, up until his breakout 5-for-5 shooting display to help keep the Warriors close in their loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Mo was not considered much of a factor in the rotation and received a “DNP-Coach’s Decision” in an early season blowout of the Clippers.

Following that breakout game against the Spurs, Mo only got hotter on the offensive end as Kerr himself said during Speights’ initial string of double-digit games, “I can’t afford not to play him”.  For the most part, Kerr has not been able to afford to take him out since.

Justin Holiday

The method seemed so effective in earning playing time that former D-Leaguer Justin Holiday impressed Kerr with his play on the defensive end and perimeter shooting to earn a place in the rotation for the past few months.  Holiday was rarely active before mid-December, but his stellar play in practice and the D-League made the rangy 6’6″ perimeter threat impossible for Kerr to pass him up.  While Holliday’s minutes have a taken a dip in the last few games, he and Speights are proof that all Kerr is looking for is guys who can play.

Mar 5, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Golden State Warriors small forward

(9) and power forward

(10) celebrate during the second half of a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Andre Iguodala

Within Kerr’s meritocracy there are two members of the bench unit from whom more is expected than the rest.  The argument can certainly be made that one of the most important moments of the season happened before any Warrior touched the practice floor, when Andre Iguodala met with Steve Kerr to discuss the idea of the former All-Star and Olympian coming off the bench for the first time in his career.

To his credit, Iguodala was honest with his fellow Wildcat alum, explaining to his brand new coach he wasn’t happy about the idea, but based his trust in Kerr and his belief in the team that he would fully embrace the role.  It was a monumental success for Kerr as he was allowed to put together the team he wanted, but what was even more important was the message Iguodola sent by accepting his role as reserve.  If the team’s most accomplished veteran can make a sacrifice for the good of the team, everyone should be able to do the same when called upon.

It’s hard to find a player in the league of Iguodala’s calibre that would be willing to make the same sacrifice as he did. However, it was his sacrifice which set the current record-breaking season in motion.  As a result, despite his occasional dry-spells from the field and at the line, the veteran swingman’s commitment and intangibles on both ends of the floor will always make him a vital member of the rotation.

Shaun Livingston

Backup point guard Shaun Livingston falls into a similar role.  The versitile 6’8 journeyman guard provides a similar set of skills on both ends of the court that don’t always standout.  He has gone through significant stretches without seeing much of the floor, though his intelligence and resolve ensures he will be an integral part of the team’s push into the postseason.

David Lee

Following his return from injury, former All-Star and longtime starter David Lee seems to have embraced his place among the reserves.  While he is still adjusting to his new role – far removed from the heavy load of minutes he logged just a year ago, once entirely acclimated, the former double-double machine could easily reinvent himself as one of the league’s top bench scorers.

Leandro Barbosa

Kerr’s most recent genius move has come in the last four appearances of Leandro Barbosa.  The Brazilian Blur who was brought in on what seemed like a roster-filling one year deal has been averaging just under a point a minute during his four game breakout.  Going back to their days in Phoenix when Barbosa was playing under Kerr as a GM, there is an unmistakable fondness in the now coaches voice when he speaks of “L.B.” (as he affectionately refers to him). It has been clear in various post game interviews, that getting the affable Phoenix Suns’ version of the Brazilian speedster on floor is a priority of late.  The recent outbursts of nearly 14 points a game from the 2007 Sixth Man of the Year – who was believed to be well passed his days as a productive player, gets to the heart of the dumbfounding fear created by the Warriors’ bench.

In just four months, Kerr has overseen Curry’s emergence as an MVP candidate, Klay Thompson’s new role as a superstar, Draymond Green as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, and the resurrection of Harrison Barnes after hitting a brutal sophomore slump. While his young starters ascents can possibly be rationalized as inevitable, the seamless transformation of his reserves has been nothing short of the acts of a miracle worker.

Two former All-Stars have accepted roles as enthusiastic reserves, while a former D-Leaguer who spent much of last year in Turkey, has averaged nearly 15 minutes a game while putting up a handful of double-digit scoring games and spent considerable time guarding the best players in the game. Marreese Speights went from overweight and playing 12 minutes a game in arguably the worst season of his career to where he was considered a favorite for 6th Man of the Year, and Leandro Barbosa after bouncing around the league since 2009 and spending most of last season playing in Brazil, is now putting up double digits while helping the best team in the NBA pull off come from behind wins over fellow playoff contenders.

When the miraculous body of work is laid out as such, the desperate attempts at skepticism from various fans and analysts become almost understandable.

It’s virtually impossible to identify how the Warriors’ promising first time coach has managed to orchestrate the current layout of his impressive reserve unit and the degree to which he and his staff’s stellar instincts have guided certain loose pieces into place.  Regardless of the process by which it was constructed, the group he’s assembled has the potential to join the league’s top starting five as one of the top bench units.

With Festus Ezeli fresh off a rehab stint in Santa Cruz after returning from injury and possibly healthy for the first time in years, we will all have to wait with bated breath to see if Kerr has enough magic left in him for one more transformation.  It would certainly be nice to have a new and improved Festus Ezeli coming off the bench in the playoffs.

Next: Are the Golden State Warriors Really Inferior to the Atlanta Hawks?