The Golden State Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr has put the Dubs’ bench on the hot seat. He’s demanding more from his second unit.
It’s not a shocker to hear that the Golden State Warriors’ bench is one of the league’s worst. With three 2019 All-Stars and two other stars rounding out their starting lineup, the difference between their two lineups is night and day.
The Warriors have the league’s most productive and efficient offense. They are the only team to average over 118 points per game. However, their bench is responsible for a small amount of those.
Steve Kerr knows that, and he also believes the team’s bench should be better. The Mercury News’ Jeff Faraudo caught coach Kerr ripping into the bench, saying they can be ‘too passive’ at times and implying they aren’t always threatening.
"“Our bench can be a whole lot better. Sometimes we can be too passive, trying to get those other guys the ball, stay out of their way, when we have to look to be on the attack. We’ve got to be threats every time we’re on the court,” Kerr said"
The top-five teams in the Western Conference have three of the league’s least productive benches. The Warriors’ bench currently ranks 29th in points per game, only scoring more than the Houston Rockets.
The bench for Golden State should be on the hot seat. They are capable of being far better than they currently are. Andre Iguodala, Quinn Cook, Alfonzo McKinnie, Shaun Livingston and many other players can certainly step up their game.
That said, the opportunity must be there as well.
Not saying Kerr’s in the wrong with his statement, but the Warriors bench is also given much less opportunity to score. With Kerr staggering his superstar’s minutes, the Dubs bench is typically run by either Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant.
Quinn Cook is the second units only player to average over five shots per game. That said, Cook, in the limited minutes he’s given, averaged almost 17 points per 36 minutes, better than starting power forward Draymond Green.
The only player to get a significant amount of time is Andre Iguodala, and he’s proven to be more effective as a distributor than a primary scoring threat.
While Kerr should expect more from the second unit, there’s not much room for them to realistically be much better.