Redick's plan for Lakers sheds light on what Kerr may do with Warriors

With the Warriors now well into training camp and their first preseason game on the horizon on Saturday, much of the focus has been on how Steve Kerr will configure his starting lineup.

While that may understandably be the most pressing question for the media and fans, there's just as much intrigue on the bottom end of the rotation and who will miss out when the Warriors start their regular season against the Portland Trail Blazers on October 23.

That's what training camp and preseason is for -- to work out who will play and who won't. But whichever way Kerr spins the magnets to start the season, there is bound to be controversy and unlucky players who miss out.

Warriors' head coach Steve Kerr is facing a unique challenge

Most coaches will enter training camp with a fairly strong indication of what they're going to do. Take first-time head coach JJ Redick, for example, at the Los Angeles Lakers. Even before training camp started, he revealed on the Lowe Post that the Lakers starting lineup for opening night (pending health) will feature D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Anthony Davis.

Redick has since stated that he envisions a nine-man Lakers rotation. While there's still competition at the Lakers to see who those four off the bench are, the names towards the end of the roster simply don't marry up to those the Warriors have in terms of their validity as NBA players.

It's easy for Redick to provide clarity on the starting lineup and what the rotation will look like because he has it. There will always be one or two controversial decisions and perhaps something that fans are frustrated with, but the Lakers roster has a hierarchy that's fairly obvious. That's the case for most teams around the league -- you look at the roster and get a fairly good indication of which players will play minutes and who won't.

In contrast, predicting where Kerr will take Golden State's rotation is like trying to predict the lottery. That's nothing on him as a coach, it's a reflection of the lack of top-end talent but incredible depth on this roster that we've been talking about all offseason.

Two players (two!), veterans Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, have guaranteed roles 28-30+ minute per game roles. Everything else is just educated guesswork until we see actual results during the preseason. How is Kerr going to cut 12 viable players (14 if you want to include Gui Santos and Lindy Waters III) down to a normal nine or ten-man rotation?

Will 3x champion, long-time starter and historical Kerr favorite Kevon Looney be out of the mix? How about another of Kerr's trusted veterans in Gary Payton II? Moses Moody would average 20 minutes per game on most NBA teams, but don't be surprised if he's out of the rotation. Surely offseason additions De'Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield will all play significant minutes, even if all are coming off the bench?

Redick's plans further shines a torch on the difficulties Kerr is facing. To put it more categorically -- the Lakers have six players currently ranked as a 75 overall or better on NBA 2K25. Golden State? Well they have 12.

The Lakers begin their preseason against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Acrisure Stadium on Friday night, while the Warriors take on the L.A. Clippers to conclude their time in Hawaii on Saturday.