Steve Kerr and Steph Curry are in the midst of their seventh season together, so there is plenty of history between the star player and his coach.
The Warriors are trying something new with Curry’s substitution patterns this year and Kerr shared his logic for the change during his weekly appearance on 95.7 The Game’s “Damon and Ratto” Wednesday. You can listen to the full interview below:
“We have a pattern now that we’ve settled on,” Kerr said. “Basically, we’re going to take Steph out in the middle of every quarter for a few minutes. He always liked to play the first and the third, then sit out the first six minutes of the second and fourth. That’s what we’ve done for years. We asked him to think about changing that this year and of course Steph is always open to anything. So accommodating as a player. Even though it probably took him out of his rhythm his first few games, he’s gotten used to it."
Kerr added that the change of pace has some benefits that affect the flow of the game.
“What I like is it allows him to start and finish every quarter,” Kerr said. “He’s so good at the end of quarters. Two-for-ones, half-court shots. We saw him make one in Charlotte the other night. Starting every quarter is important, too. Starting the second and fourth, I think is really good for this particular group that we have. I think it’s working well so far.”
Phil Roth of NBArotations.info tracks player substitutions and creates rotation visualizers for everyone in the NBA. In the chart below, the darker red squares indicate when Curry's on the floor, while lighter colored squares represent when he’s resting.
When looking at this data, focus on his second-quarter column. As you can see, the Warriors fooled around with Curry’s substitution patterns this season before finding a rhythm over the past five games, beginning with the Nov. 8 matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. Curry also started the second quarter on Nov. 3 against the Charlotte Hornets, but Kerr has kept a more uniformed pattern since the Hawks game.
via Phil Roth, nbarotations.info
Curry has lit up the scoreboard in those quintet of games, as he has averaged 35.2 points on 51.4 percent shooting, while averaging a ridiculous 6.6 3-pointers made. He has erupted for at least nine 3-pointers three times in the past five games, with a 50-piece and 40-piece under his belt.
Steph has posted a +43 in the second quarter over the past five games, after his plus/minus was -20 the first nine contests of the year. Here’s a quarter-by-quarter breakdown of Curry’s minutes, points and plus/minus this season, before and after his sub patterns were figured out.
stats via NBA.com
Two things stick out to me here: First, Curry's ability to more than double his scoring production in the second quarter in just two additional minutes per period.
Second: Curry has still been able to explode in the third quarter without having to be on the floor for the entire period.
Curry is scoring at a higher rate in the first quarter, too, though his plus/minus is taking a hit in the period. It’s a small sample size, but the early returns point to a more balanced attack for Steph and the Dubs.
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“I think what happened was he started the second quarter one night and it looked so great that we just had the conversation, ‘What if we did this every night?’” Kerr said. “He was really open to it. That’s what makes him so special, that he’s just going to be accommodating that it’s all about the team. Whatever helps the team win, that’s what he wants to do.”
Curry isn’t shy to set screens for his teammates and is often praised for being a selfless superstar. Kerr said the team’s winning start also helped make Curry’s decision a little easier.
“We’ve had plenty of conversations, where it’s, ‘What do you think?’” Kerr said. “If he says, ‘No I’d rather do something else,’ then I’m going to listen to him. Of course. He should dictate his own comfort level on the floor. He knows best how he’s going to play at his peak. This was one where it was a little different. But I think he was open to it, just given where the team is right now.”
