While Jonathan Kuminga’s recent benching may have stemmed from underwhelming form following his return from injury, Steve Kerr’s other controversial rotation axing has a much more painful and illegitimate reason behind it.
Will Richard had been a starter for 11 of the previous 13 games prior to last Friday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, yet has found himself completely out of Kerr’s rotation over the last two outings.
Steve Kerr gives painful reason behind Will Richard benching
When asked why Richard was now out of the rotation during an interview with 95.7 The Game’s Willard and Dibs on Tuesday, Kerr admitted that it wasn’t to do with form per se, but simply because of his rookie stature compared to move veteran teammates.
“Right now, frankly he's sitting because he's a rookie. I'm honoring what the older guys have done over the years,” Kerr said of Richard.
While not the first time this has been a reason for Kerr and other coaches around the league, it’s still a poor one for a team who now possesses a below .500 record after back-to-back losses against the Timberwolves and Trail Blazers.
Sure, you could understand it if the veterans were playing well and the team was winning, but Richard's removal from the rotation has coincided with two defeats in what were very winnable games.
Unlike Kuminga who is set to return to the rotation against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, Kerr has given no indication that Richard will see minutes after being a game-high +36 in his last outing against the Chicago Bulls.
“The great thing with Will is he gets it. I went to him last week, told him, I'm going to take him out of the rotation because we're getting healthy, and I want to play my vets and give everybody you know a look.”
— Joseph Dycus (@joseph_dycus) December 17, 2025
Steve Kerr on Will Richard. pic.twitter.com/skHygH2XZL
According to Kerr, Richard is fully understanding which likely stems from added maturity and experience as a 22-year-old entering the league after four years of college. However, deep down he surely must be asking why others who clearly haven't been as impactful are now ahead of him in the rotation.
This is a 'what have you done for me lately league'. While it's nice to have faith in veterans to get the job done, that can only stretch so far into a season. For instance, how long can Kerr keep Buddy Hield in a consistent role which right now is only based on last season's playoff heroics?
The good news for Richard is that the Warriors are very likely to make a consolidation trade at some point before the mid-season deadline, meaning he could suddenly catapult back up the rotation and into a prominent role in time for a hopeful playoff push.