Despite some anxious moments in the second-half, the Golden State Warriors emerged from Game 1 with a 95-85 victory over the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Sunday.
While Rockets head coach Ime Udoka went to a shorter, more traditional eight-man rotation in Game 1, Steve Kerr utilized 10 players which still didn't include former seventh overall pick Jonathan Kuminga as his axing extended to a third-straight game.
Warriors must address a familiar Buddy Hield problem
Golden State leant heavily on the superstar duo of Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler who combined for 56 points, having got little offense elsewhere as no other player scored more than seven points outside Brandin Podziemski.
The ever-present frustration surrounding Buddy Hield continued for Warrior fans, with the veteran guard providing little impact in his 15 minutes off the bench. Hield did make a tough jump-shot over Jabari Smith Jr. as part of an 18-3 Golden State run in the second-quarter, but otherwise finished with just two points, one rebound and a steal on 1-of-4 shooting and 0-of-2 from 3-point range.
There was little doubt about what fans wanted to see from a rotation perspective, with calls for Hield to be removed from Game 2 and beyond amid a season that's been plagued by inconsistency.
Play Jonathan Kuminga. Stop overthinking it. You can obviously pull him if it’s not working out. Don’t think Buddy Hield needs to see minutes again in this series.
— Natalie Esquire (@natfluential) April 21, 2025
Just give all of Buddy Hield minutes to gui santos how hard is that
— Chef curry (Parody) (@baby_face_goat) April 21, 2025
Why does Buddy Hield get minutes over JK in this series i don’t get it
— AntoninExplainer (@antoniexplainer) April 21, 2025
It's hard to argue with those calls, particularly after a game in which the Warriors were beaten 22-6 in offensive rebounds. Houston's ability to dominate the glass is perhaps their only chance of winning this series, meaning the size and athleticism of Kuminga and Gui Santos may be more important in contrast to Hield's one-trick skillset -- especially when that one trick (his 3-point shooting) can be so hit-and-miss.
Santos' lack of playing time was a disappointing element for fans, with the young Brazilian forward appearing to handle himself well in his first playoff appearance. The 22-year-old nailed his only 3-point attempt and converted on his sole trip to the free-throw line, but played just seven minutes in a game that probably asked for more of his hustle and rebounding knack.
Kuminga may still play a factor in this series, but whether he can be a true rebounding presence for Golden State could swing on whether he's truly engaged following three-straight games out of the rotation.
Either way it feels like Kerr needs to shorten the rotation going forward in the series, and Hield could be a casualty of that based on his Game 1 performance and the Warriors need to match Houston's size and athleticism.