Golden State Warriors vs. Sacramento Kings: Two things we learned
1. Warriors can be flexible depending on opponent
Steve Kerr’s bench rotation has been an intriguing aspect of the season thus far.
The beauty of having a deeper roster is that he can call on different players depending on matchups. With Andre Iguodala missing with a sore hip, we saw more minutes for Otto Porter Jr., who had nine rebounds in his 24 minutes.
We also saw the first major playing time for Payton II, who had 10 points (4-6, 2-2) in his 17 minutes. After starring against the Lakers less than a week ago, Nemanja Bjelica played just under 10 minutes against his former team.
2. Draymond Green can be a scoring threat
It’s tough to get a gauge on Green’s mindset offensively at times, however he seems to be more intent on scoring over the course of the season so far. His 14 points, six rebounds and six assists was the perfect statline for a team that could do with the scoring contribution whilst Klay Thompson remains out.
Just as critically, he only had one turnover, and while he failed to record a steal or a block, we know his defensive contributions stem much further than just the box score.
It was another positive outing for the Warriors, especially given the Kings propensity to be streaky and dangerous (they’d beaten the Trail Blazers in Portland earlier in the week). The Dubs will enter as heavy favorites when they head to Oklahoma City to play the Thunder on Tuesday.