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Golden State Warriors: Nuggets to test Steve Kerr’s faith in new starting lineup

By Peter O'Keefe

DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 22: Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors looks on during action against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on March 22, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. 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 Tim Heitman/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 22: Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors looks on during action against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on March 22, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. 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 Tim Heitman/Getty Images) /
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The NBA playoffs may be just around the corner, but the Golden State Warriors are yet to settle on a starting lineup that’s changed regularly throughout the course of the regular season.

With Andrew Wiggins absent due to personal reasons, the Warriors’ starting unit is already weakened in being down their starting small-forward. Yet over the last two games, head coach Steve Kerr has decided to go even smaller again by demoting Kevon Looney to the bench in place of the exciting Jonathan Kuminga.

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets are set to test the faith of Steve Kerr when they challenge the Golden State Warriors at Ball Arena on Sunday.

You can see why Kerr has chose to go this way. The return of Gary Payton II has coincided with the complete withdrawal of JaMychal Green from the rotation. With one less big man taking the floor, Kerr wants to split Looney and Draymond Green’s minutes as much as possible. How sustainable is it moving forward? Well we might be about to find out in Denver on Sunday.

Nikola Jokic will try and push his MVP candidacy further against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Nikola Jokic will try and push his MVP candidacy further against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Golden State’s new starting unit — Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Donte DiVincenzo, Kuminga and Green — holds a +12.1 net rating over 23 minutes together in the last two games. That’s a positive start, but it’s hardly an emphatic statement on its validity given one of those opponents was the Spurs.

That starting unit will be meet its biggest challenge should Kerr go back to the well with it against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. Nikola Jokic is one of the most unstoppable offensive forces in recent NBA history, and asking Green to try and curb his influence is a nigh on impossible task. The former Defensive Player of the Year isn’t immune to playing well above his size, yet the challenge feels even more arduous when his teammates are a combination of three guards and a second-year, inexperienced player.

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Perhaps Kerr and the Warriors try to fight fire with fire — they concede that Jokic will put up big numbers, yet try and exploit his lack of athleticism on the other end. Whatever happens, we’ll likely get an answer on whether this can be a full-time starting lineup, or whether it’s simply a horses for courses approach depending on the opposition.

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