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Golden State Warriors: Steve Kerr recommits to veteran five

By Peter O'Keefe

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 04: Dwight Powell #7 of the Dallas Mavericks has his shot blocked but gets fouled on the play by Kevon Looney #5 of the Golden State Warriors during the first quarter of the game at Chase Center on February 04, 2023 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 - FEBRUARY 04: Dwight Powell #7 of the Dallas Mavericks has his shot blocked but gets fouled on the play by Kevon Looney #5 of the Golden State Warriors during the first quarter of the game at Chase Center on February 04, 2023 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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Golden State Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr made a decisive change on Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks, re-inserting reliable center Kevon Looney into the starting line-up in place of Jordan Poole.

It paid immediate dividends as the Warriors quickly built a double-digit advantage in the opening minutes and a 17-point lead by the end of the first period. Although a worrying injury to Stephen Curry led to a major Dallas surge in the fourth-quarter, the reigning champions held on to escape with a 119-113 win. 

Reverting to the traditional starting five is the correct move from Steve Kerr, but it also signifies the Golden State Warriors’ struggles so far this season.

Steve Kerr confirmed in the post-match press conference that he’ll shelve the Warriors’ small ball starting lineup for the moment, with the four-time championship winning coach placing his trust back in the veteran five of Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Looney.

"“I’m going to go back to that. We got a good look at the smaller lineup, I think it was nine games if I’m not mistaken. Just came to the conclusion that our best bet is to start with the bigger lineup. We know that five-man unit is, it’s either the number one or number two five-man unit in the NBA, and that’s with a big sample size. We like that unit and we feel like our bench is playing better now, we’ve got more continuity there”, Kerr said."

Kerr knows the numbers and they were ultimately becoming too difficult to ignore. In 331 minutes this season, the Curry-Thompson-Wiggins-Green-Looney five-man unit has a net rating of 21.9 — that’s the best for any lineup league-wide that’s played at least 100 minutes together. Their presence as a championship-worthy starting five has never wavered, which made Kerr’s decision to start Poole a strange one in the first place.

It clearly emanated from Poole’s drastic uptick in production when starting compared to coming off the bench. At some point though, the team has to come before the individual player. The Curry-Poole-Thompson-Wiggins-Green unit is -2.0 in net rating across 155 minutes this season.

It’s the right decision from Kerr and one that many fans had been clamouring for ever since the initial change. The next question is how Poole responds to it, with the initial evidence not great given the fourth-year guard had a woefully quiet three points against the Mavericks.

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Another change to the starting five signifies the Warriors’ uncertain season to date. So unsure has Kerr been of how to get the best out of his players, that he even altered one of the rare aspects that was going well. Thankfully he’s reverted back to the success-laden starting five that will try and dig Golden State out of the mire.

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