Steve Kerr is spoiled for choice. Against Philadelphia, last night, he played 11 of his 12 players. Facing Toronto on Sunday, all the Warriors in uniform entered the field. In each match, whether at home or away, the Warriors coach can draw from his bench according to the scenario of the meeting to find the joker (s) that will have a decisive impact on the outcome.
That night it was the address of Otto Porter Jr and the energy of Juan Toscano-Anderson. A week ago, it was the defense of Gary Payton II. Against Atlanta and Chicago, it was the athleticism of Jonathan Kuminga that burst the screen. Against the Lakers and Cavs, it was the basketball IQ of Nemanja Bjelica.
“A week ago, Juan was not even in the rotation” recalls Steve Kerr. “It’s a luxury as a coach to know that you can count on players who can start, who can be our eighth man, our twelfth man. No matter what the situation, you know what you are going to get from them. “
Damion Lee has also been solid since the start of the season and obviously Andre Iguodala has also pulled out several games where he blacked out the scoresheet before joining the infirmary. The Warriors are therefore back and this team is necessarily reminiscent of that of 2015.
Many advantages up the sleeve of Steve Kerr
In Steve Kerr’s first year as a coach in the San Francisco Bay Area, the coach began using the slogan “Strength in Numbers” to emphasize bench depth. of the workforce that will win the first franchise title after 40 years of famine. The term became a hallmark during the five seasons the Dubs reached the NBA Finals, winning three trophies in the process.
Seven years after the first Curry Era title, the ingredients for that success are back. The Warriors’ substitutes are “only” the tenth most prolific bench in the league with almost 37 points on average (Spurs are first with 41.5 points), but they have the best +/- in the entire league and (+ 5.5 on average) and, more than the points scored, it is the complementarity of the workforce that makes this version of Golden State so interesting.
It’s like Steve Kerr is sitting at a poker table with hidden cards up his sleeve. And the technician will soon be able to count two more with the returns of Klay Thompson and James Wiseman …
However, it’s already difficult to give everyone playing time, so what can we do with the return of the “Splash Brother” and the second choice of the 2020 Draft?
“I don’t even want to think about it because I have no idea. It’s going to be complicated, “ he admits. “But they’re not coming back next week, so I’d rather avoid spending my energy on the subject. We still have a little time. “
Andrew Wiggins had a thought for the rest of the NBA. “We are not satisfied, we want to continue to improve. And more with Klay (Thompson) and James (Wiseman) coming back soon… It’s going to be scary! “
Interview in San Francisco.
