Injury fortune is seemingly on the Golden State Warriors side entering the final 13 games of the regular season, with a near-clean injury report for Thursday's home game against the Toronto Raptors at Chase Center.
With Stephen Curry set to return after missing Tuesday's win over the Milwaukee Bucks, in-form guard Gary Payton II is the sole Warrior under an injury cloud as he is questionable for Thursday's game with knee soreness.
The time for harsh but necessary rotation calls has come for the Warriors
If Payton is declared fit and available to face the Raptors, it will be the first time Steve Kerr has had a full rotation to pick from since the blockbuster trade for Jimmy Butler just before the February deadline.
Even despite the 4-for-1 trade for Butler, Golden State still have 11 players who warrant rotation minutes and who've played significant roles over recent weeks. An 11-man rotation simply can't continue as the urgency increases to close the regular season and into the playoffs, with early signs already of who may feel the squeeze going forward.
Veteran center Kevon Looney has easily averaged the least minutes of the 11 players since the All-Star break, which included playing just over six in Tuesday's win over the Bucks. The 3x champion has already seen a few DNPs earlier in the season, and could add to those as an obvious candidate to have his minutes axed.
The major question is whether Kerr can get away with benching both Looney and Trayce Jackson-Davis, leaving the center minutes down to rookie big man Quinten Post and otherwise going small with Draymond Green. Perhaps if Green starts and closes halves, and Post fills some minutes in between, then Golden State can get away with removing Looney from the rotation entirely.
Another fan-favorite, Gui Santos, could also feel the pressure despite some excellent recent form in his second season. With Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Post all young players with little to no playoff experience, does Kerr really want a fifth young player in the rotation come the postseason? Unlikely.
Kuminga's return from a 31-game absence was always going to impact Santos' minutes, with the Brazilian forward playing just over eight minutes in Tuesday's game against the Bucks. Some may lament that given how impactful Santos has been to winning over recent weeks, but the upside of Kuminga has to be persisted with if the Warriors wish to sustain a deep playoff run.
Removing Looney and Santos from the rotation may seem harsh, but it's probably necessary as Golden State look to solidify roles and all be on the same page ahead of a playoff push.