Opening night blowout of the Lakers put GSWs’ powerful 11-man rotation on full display

 

With an intense 18.7 net rating, the Golden State Warrior’s starting lineup just cruised through the playoffs. In the NBA Finals, the five-person experienced group—Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, and Kevon Looney—outscored the Boston Celtics by 26 points during Tuesday night’s season-opening victory, the Los Angeles Lakers by 14 points in 10 minutes. As dependable as any group in the league they are.

 

The rising guard Jordan Poole, who just agreed to a four-year, $123 million contract extension, is still overqualified and stuck in a temporary bench role. Most gambling sites consider him the Sixth Man of the Year’s favorite. With two first-quarter 3-pointers after entering, he quickly turned around a poor offensive start against the Lakers, ending with 12 points and seven assists. The experienced signings from the summer were Donte DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green, who arrived as bargains and suited the Warriors’ movement style brilliantly. DiVincenzo alternated between on-ball and off-ball responsibilities in the first game, guarded Russell Westbrook, and sank a crucial 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. Green scored two three-pointers and grabbed five offensive rebounds. He spreads the floor while attacking the glass.

 

 

These components of a solid eight-man experienced NBA group extend beyond the bounds of a typical rotation. However, the Warriors go further because they have three recent lottery choices, which all seem prepared to develop into more significant positions. James Wiseman, the backup center, returned and finished with eight points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes of bench time. The preseason for Jonathan Kuminga was interesting. Last May, Moses Moody played well as a rookie in the conference finals, but on Tuesday night, he was the 11th man.

 

Even if the depth is younger, it reminds me of the team from 2014–2015, remarked Steve Kerr. The team didn’t use Leandro Barbosa and Shaun Livingston in several of our games. During specific periods of the season, they both either played extremely few minutes or none at all.

 

The fortunate issue Kerr will deal with in the upcoming weeks is that. Depth is advantageous but comes with a larger need for ego care, as Curry pointed out following the game. There will be a few players in the rotation at places nine, ten, and eleven who, if everyone is healthy, have a legitimate belief that they can handle greater minutes and opportunities. In a team meeting before the start of the season, Kerr faced this truth.

 

There are challenges when angry players leave the floor knowing they didn’t play that night, according to Curry. You must thus be patient with it.

 

In the beginning, Kerr’s work was made more straightforward. Due to their minute restrictions, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green gave the remaining nine players in that 11-man rotation more opportunities. Thompson left the game after the first five minutes and didn’t return until the middle of the second, using some downtime to drill his strokes in the practice bunker while the game was still in progress.

 

As Thompson waited, Kerr could play Poole, DiVincenzo, and then Moody in different lineup configurations. Curry had 33 minutes, Wiggins had 29, Poole had 28, Draymond had 25, JaMychal had 21, DiVincenzo had 20, Thompson had 20, Wiseman had 15, Kuminga had 12, and Moody had six.

 

Even though it is just one game, Kerr is starting the season by favoring experience over youth. The Lakers briefly threatened in the second half, forcing Kuminga and Wiseman to give the court to JaMychal Green. DiVincenzo starts above Moody in the pecking order, while JaMychal Green is above Wiseman and Kalinga.

 

However, the younger second unit does appear to be developing an identity, even in the interim peeks. Many people in the organization postulated a bench unit that spammed the Poole, Wiseman high screen game, utilizing the abilities of both young players, as early as last season, when Poole emerged and hope for Wiseman’s knee injury recovery lingered.

 

They may now finally put that concept into practice. On Tuesday night, Poole and Wiseman utilized several pick-and-rolls against the Lakers. Here are two connections that worked well. The first is a semi-transition drag screen that results in a pocket pass from Poole for a simple grab and slams by Wiseman. In the half-court comes the second. Wiseman goes right past a questionable Lakers second unit without a rim protector after Poole pulls a double and gets the ball to him while he is in motion.

 

This matchup-based tactic was not unique. When questioned about his offensive expectations for the non-Curry minutes, Kerr responded.

 

We’ll play a lot of pick-and-roll, according to Kerr. James will be in the open, diving for the rim. It’s a little different expression we may use.

 

Poole’s improved decision-making ability is a crucial factor. The team’s offense is now entirely under Poole’s control, even when Curry, Thompson, and Green are on the court, thanks to Kerr’s growing comfort with this practice. Kerr used to like pairing Poole with a point guard in the second unit, initially Brad Wanamaker and Nico Mannion. It is no longer necessary. The keys have been delivered to Poole.

 

As a result, he must play the game with more finesse and bear greater responsibility for mentoring his younger colleagues. After the game, Poole questioned the distinction between running pick-and-rolls with Green and Wiseman.

 

We are still looking for methods to persuade James to set the proper screen angles. He is a huge target. He is a menace to lob. Undoubtedly, Draymond and Loon are two of our top screeners in the game. We’re continuously looking for methods to find the appropriate pace and rhythm for our screens, slides, and lobs.

 

Wiseman’s inability to make contact on his screens was one of his main problems as a rookie. His screening was more deliberate in the introduction. Here, he flips the screen, reads Poole’s improvisation from the top, and gets him an open jumper.

 

The Warriors cut Avery Bradley during the preseason. A few days later, he was acquired by the Lakers, who started him. Juan Toscano-Anderson didn’t play for the Warriors in the most recent playoffs. He has emerged as one of the Lakers’ key role players, filling a crucial need on a team that may be the league’s least competitive from positions 3 through 15 overalls.

 

Therefore, it won’t always be as easy for Kerr to use 11 to show the depth of the Warriors and spread the love. However, this advantage was evident on Tuesday as references to 2015 Strength in Numbers filled the building.

 

Curry affirmed, “I mean, sure, there’s a feeling. For us to be the club we want to be during the regular season and then determine what the ideal rotation comes playoff time, you have 11 men who deserve the chance to play. The squad from 2014–2015 had a little older bench and hence had greater experience in various roles. However, it is where Strength in Numbers began.

 

Opening night blowout of the Lakers put GSWs’ powerful 11-man rotation on full display

 

With an intense 18.7 net rating, the Golden State Warrior’s starting lineup just cruised through the playoffs. In the NBA Finals, the five-person experienced group—Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, and Kevon Looney—outscored the Boston Celtics by 26 points during Tuesday night’s season-opening victory, the Los Angeles Lakers by 14 points in 10 minutes. As dependable as any group in the league they are.

 

The rising guard Jordan Poole, who just agreed to a four-year, $123 million contract extension, is still overqualified and stuck in a temporary bench role. Most gambling sites consider him the Sixth Man of the Year’s favorite. With two first-quarter 3-pointers after entering, he quickly turned around a poor offensive start against the Lakers, ending with 12 points and seven assists. The experienced signings from the summer were Donte DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green, who arrived as bargains and suited the Warriors’ movement style brilliantly. DiVincenzo alternated between on-ball and off-ball responsibilities in the first game, guarded Russell Westbrook, and sank a crucial 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. Green scored two three-pointers and grabbed five offensive rebounds. He spreads the floor while attacking the glass.

 

 

These components of a solid eight-man experienced NBA group extend beyond the bounds of a typical rotation. However, the Warriors go further because they have three recent lottery choices, which all seem prepared to develop into more significant positions. James Wiseman, the backup center, returned and finished with eight points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes of bench time. The preseason for Jonathan Kuminga was interesting. Last May, Moses Moody played well as a rookie in the conference finals, but on Tuesday night, he was the 11th man.

 

Even if the depth is younger, it reminds me of the team from 2014–2015, remarked Steve Kerr. The team didn’t use Leandro Barbosa and Shaun Livingston in several of our games. During specific periods of the season, they both either played extremely few minutes or none at all.

 

The fortunate issue Kerr will deal with in the upcoming weeks is that. Depth is advantageous but comes with a larger need for ego care, as Curry pointed out following the game. There will be a few players in the rotation at places nine, ten, and eleven who, if everyone is healthy, have a legitimate belief that they can handle greater minutes and opportunities. In a team meeting before the start of the season, Kerr faced this truth.

 

There are challenges when angry players leave the floor knowing they didn’t play that night, according to Curry. You must thus be patient with it.

 

In the beginning, Kerr’s work was made more straightforward. Due to their minute restrictions, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green gave the remaining nine players in that 11-man rotation more opportunities. Thompson left the game after the first five minutes and didn’t return until the middle of the second, using some downtime to drill his strokes in the practice bunker while the game was still in progress.

 

As Thompson waited, Kerr could play Poole, DiVincenzo, and then Moody in different lineup configurations. Curry had 33 minutes, Wiggins had 29, Poole had 28, Draymond had 25, JaMychal had 21, DiVincenzo had 20, Thompson had 20, Wiseman had 15, Kuminga had 12, and Moody had six.

 

Even though it is just one game, Kerr is starting the season by favoring experience over youth. The Lakers briefly threatened in the second half, forcing Kuminga and Wiseman to give the court to JaMychal Green. DiVincenzo starts above Moody in the pecking order, while JaMychal Green is above Wiseman and Kalinga.

 

However, the younger second unit does appear to be developing an identity, even in the interim peeks. Many people in the organization postulated a bench unit that spammed the Poole, Wiseman high screen game, utilizing the abilities of both young players, as early as last season, when Poole emerged and hope for Wiseman’s knee injury recovery lingered.

 

They may now finally put that concept into practice. On Tuesday night, Poole and Wiseman utilized several pick-and-rolls against the Lakers. Here are two connections that worked well. The first is a semi-transition drag screen that results in a pocket pass from Poole for a simple grab and slams by Wiseman. In the half-court comes the second. Wiseman goes right past a questionable Lakers second unit without a rim protector after Poole pulls a double and gets the ball to him while he is in motion.

 

This matchup-based tactic was not unique. When questioned about his offensive expectations for the non-Curry minutes, Kerr responded.

 

We’ll play a lot of pick-and-roll, according to Kerr. James will be in the open, diving for the rim. It’s a little different expression we may use.

 

Poole’s improved decision-making ability is a crucial factor. The team’s offense is now entirely under Poole’s control, even when Curry, Thompson, and Green are on the court, thanks to Kerr’s growing comfort with this practice. Kerr used to like pairing Poole with a point guard in the second unit, initially Brad Wanamaker and Nico Mannion. It is no longer necessary. The keys have been delivered to Poole.

 

As a result, he must play the game with more finesse and bear greater responsibility for mentoring his younger colleagues. After the game, Poole questioned the distinction between running pick-and-rolls with Green and Wiseman.

 

We are still looking for methods to persuade James to set the proper screen angles. He is a huge target. He is a menace to lob. Undoubtedly, Draymond and Loon are two of our top screeners in the game. We’re continuously looking for methods to find the appropriate pace and rhythm for our screens, slides, and lobs.

 

Wiseman’s inability to make contact on his screens was one of his main problems as a rookie. His screening was more deliberate in the introduction. Here, he flips the screen, reads Poole’s improvisation from the top, and gets him an open jumper.

 

The Warriors cut Avery Bradley during the preseason. A few days later, he was acquired by the Lakers, who started him. Juan Toscano-Anderson didn’t play for the Warriors in the most recent playoffs. He has emerged as one of the Lakers’ key role players, filling a crucial need on a team that may be the league’s least competitive from positions 3 through 15 overalls.

 

Therefore, it won’t always be as easy for Kerr to use 11 to show the depth of the Warriors and spread the love. However, this advantage was evident on Tuesday as references to 2015 Strength in Numbers filled the building.

 

Curry affirmed, “I mean, sure, there’s a feeling. For us to be the club we want to be during the regular season and then determine what the ideal rotation comes playoff time, you have 11 men who deserve the chance to play. The squad from 2014–2015 had a little older bench and hence had greater experience in various roles. However, it is where Strength in Numbers began.