Warriors' roster quirk puts a colossal amount of pressure on Steve Kerr

As the trade deadline approaches, the Golden State Warriors have a clear mandate: acquire a third starter who can play viably alongside Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.

While the team has found middling success to this point, and looks to be trending upwards after a massive Christmas Day victory over the Dallas Mavericks, they must iron out their rotation if they wish to become genuine title contenders.

According to basketball analyst Nate Duncan, their mix of mid-level shooting guards is one of the strangest he's ever seen on an NBA roster:

Although head coach Steve Kerr has always been inclined towards making full use of a deeper rotation, this combination puts undue pressure upon him on a game-to-game basis. With this many average weapons in his arsenal, he must constantly make substitutions with surgical precision to give his team a chance late in close games.

The Warriors must consolidate their rotation at some point this season

This past offseason, Golden State's focus, apart from adding veteran center Al Horford, was largely on shoring up their backcourt. They ultimately added both De'Anthony Melton and Seth Curry through free agency while bringing back Gary Payton II and adding Will Richard through the draft.

Throwing Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Moses Moody, and Pat Spencer into the mix, this has left them with a grand total of eight players who are capable of slotting into the backcourt alongside Stephen Curry.

In their matchup against the Dallas Mavericks alone, five of these players got at least 10 minutes on the court while Hield and Spencer received DNPs.

While Kerr chose the right combination in this setting, giving both Payton and Melton run to end the game, none of these players have the impact necessary to be the player that the team needs alongside Stephen Curry.

Therefore, the Warriors' success to this point in the season has been entirely dependent on Kerr pushing the right buttons: a gamble that has failed almost as often as it has paid off.

While it is true that a deep roster is needed for regular season success, the team will need a player they can fully rely on when the postseason comes. As it stands, none of these guards have been reliable enough to be that guy.

Golden State has achieved its goal of rotational versatility and depth. When it really comes down to it, however, they will need to consolidate their rotation, either through a trade or through tough playing time decisions, in order to gain consistency and reliability in their starting and closing lineups.