Instead of shy away from his scuffling second unit, Steve Kerr is gonna let them run the show.
Warriors stars Steph Curry (right elbow soreness), Klay Thompson (right Achilles injury management), Draymond Green (lower back injury management) and Andrew Wiggins (left foot soreness) were all ruled out for Friday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, meaning the only remaining starter is Kevon Looney. The veterans will get a rest day on the second leg of a back-to-back, to cap off a grueling five-city, weeklong road trip that’s winless so far.
The Warriors’ resident ironman, Looney, missed a game on March 20, 2021 due to a quick stint in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, but has played in 144 consecutive games since. Looney’s streak is tied with Detroit’s Saddiq Bey for the second-longest active games played streak behind Phoenix’s Mikal Bridges, who has never missed a contest in his 351-game career. Looney’s streak is impressive considering he overcame neuropathy (numbness), hip injuries and other issues to begin his career.
Golden State’s starting five has been remarkably efficient this season, as its 24.1 net rating is the highest for any quintet that has played at least 80 minutes together. The next closest group is the Boston Celtics’ starting five of Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford, which has an 11.0 net rating.
Once the bench is on the floor, it's been a different story. Backup third-year center James Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick in 2020, has been under the microscope for his poor defense and fouling, but has been a great pick-and-roll threat. He could get tested in a big way against New Orleans' frontcourt duo of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram on Friday night.
The Warriors young second unit has been awaiting consistency from Jordan Poole, who has scored 20 combined points the past two games (on 7-of-22 shooting) after dropping a season-high 30 points against the Pistons on Sunday. Poole is shooting just 31.1 percent from 3-point land this season, down from his 36.4 percent clip last season.
You have to think that Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga and Ty Jerome will all have a huge spike in minutes. Veteran JaMychal Green is a strong candidate to start at power forward and could likely top his season high of 24 minutes played in a game. Donte DiVincenzo remains out with a hamstring injury and Andre Iguodala isn’t ready to make his season debut.
We could also get a long look at rookies Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins, who have yet to get much playing time but are traveling with the team following a brief G League training camp assignment. Two-way contract forward Anthony Lamb will likely round out Kerr’s 10-man rotation.
Following Thursday’s embarrassing 130-129 loss to the Orlando Magic, Kerr said changes were coming to the rotation. Friday’s roster will be an extreme makeover, but perhaps the coaching staff is viewing it like a 48-minute tryout for the youngsters to see who’s where in the pecking order.
Williamson will be a load in the paint for Looney, Wiseman and JaMychal Green. Ingram (concussion) is listed as probable and is a problem, while CJ McCollum is the team’s third scorer averaging over 20 points per game. The Pelicans are 4-3 and coming off a 120-117 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
