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Golden State Warriors’ closing five a luxury issue for Steve Kerr

By Peter O'Keefe

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 28: Jordan Poole #3 and Donte DiVincenzo #0 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates after Poole made a three-point shot against the Utah Jazz during the fourth quarter at Chase Center on December 28, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 28: Jordan Poole #3 and Donte DiVincenzo #0 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates after Poole made a three-point shot against the Utah Jazz during the fourth quarter at Chase Center on December 28, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors may have had unusually average ‘clutch’ stats this season, but the reigning champions have managed to close out two tight games in back-to-back wins over the Memphis Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors.

Friday’s game against the Raptors signified the Warriors and Steve Kerr’s flexibility with their closing five, with the hosts finishing the game on a 22-12 run to claim an important 129-117 victory.

A variety of options at Steve Kerr’s disposal is igniting a debate on who should be closing games for the Golden State Warriors.

Once their achilles heal to start the season, the form of multiple bench players has given Kerr options that he’s often been ill-afforded. We know the veteran trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will be on the floor in important moments, but the four-time championship winning coach can now take a horses-for-courses approach with the final two spots.

Andrew Wiggins will almost always take a fourth spot in the closing lineup, but even he was stapled to the bench for the final minutes of last Sunday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets. With the fifth position, Kerr has often deliberated between going small and prioritizing offense with Jordan Poole, or going traditional and prioritizing defense with Kevon Looney.

Steve Kerr often has to choose between Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole in starting and closing lineups. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Steve Kerr often has to choose between Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole in starting and closing lineups. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Yet even that is no longer a singular question. After hitting a game-winning layup against the Grizzlies, Poole didn’t see action across the last 7:57 against the Raptors. The reliability of Donte DiVincenzo couldn’t be denied against Toronto, with the 25-year-old becoming the first Warrior reserve since Jarret Jack in 2012-13 to record a 10+ point, 10+ assist double-double.

Then you have Jonathan Kuminga, the second-year forward who’s rising exponentially by the game. The 20-year-old has had some huge fourth-quarter moments this season, and became a regular member of closing lineups in the absence of Wiggins. Kerr’s growing trust in Kuminga has been evident over recent months, and we’re quickly reaching a point where he’ll be an undoubted part of Golden State’s best five-man unit.

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All of Looney, Poole, DiVincenzo and Kuminga have a claim on being in the Warriors’ best five in crunch time, and Kerr now has constant decisions to make on a game-by-game basis. At the very least, and perhaps most importantly, it demonstrates that Golden State have a solid eight-man rotation assuming they secure another playoff berth.

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