Golden State Warriors: Four takeaways from win over New Orleans Pelicans

Early season rotations will be inconsistent

Steve Kerr has one goal: win a championship. In order to do so, he has to keep everyone healthy for the postseason. That requires figuring out rotations that will keep them winning and fresh at the same time.

Kerr is a strong believer in playing all of his guys. That’s been a staple of his coaching style since he joined Golden State in 2014. He will go deep down his bench for minutes.

For the most part, it’s worked out. Sure, he’s also had great top talent at his disposal, but he’s been able to maximize a lot of role players. Guys like Ian Clark, Marreese Speights, and Matt Barnes found success playing in the Kerr’s system.

In the first game of the season, Kerr turned to Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell for some crucial minutes. To be fair, with no Andre Iguodala or Draymond Green, he did need to go to the end of his bench. Still, he had those guys playing in key situations down the stretch when the Warriors faltered.

The rotations are going to be inconsistent. JaVale McGee didn’t play in the first game, but he played nearly nine minutes in the second game. Patrick McCaw, who was heavily featured in the opener, did not step onto the floor in New Orleans. That’s just going to happen and it might cost the Warriors some regular season games.

It’s a long season and it’s all about building for the playoffs.