On Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors got their second win of the season and their first since Stephen Curry’s ankle sprain after completing a comeback against the New Orleans Pelicans. Before doing so, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr made the decision to rework the starting lineup.
With Curry and Andrew Wiggins (lower back strain) out, Buddy Hield and Brandin Podziemski started in their place. However, the changes didn’t stop there. Kerr also moved Jonathan Kuminga to the bench, starting Moses Moody to the bench. This was a move obviously designed to generate better spacing but one that Kerr is also simply more comfortable with.
Kerr and Kuminga disagree about his position. Kerr acknowledges the benefits of Kuminga’s athleticism but is dismayed by his limitations beyond the arc. Going back to last season, Kuminga playing well doesn’t even mean that he’ll play more because his play style isn’t the Warriors way. However, there’s no use in crying over spilled milk, so Kuminga just keeps his head down and goes to work.
Warriors Unknown Commodity Lindy Waters III Making Case For Rotation Minutes
There were a few bright spots during Tuesday’s victory.
Moses Moody
Moody got to start for the first time this season. Though he only played 17 minutes, he capitalized on his opportunity, scoring 17 points on 5-6 shooting from deep. Even on a hot shooting night from Hield, he led the team with his three-point percentage (.833).
Buddy Hield
Speaking of Hield, he continues to look right at home in Golden State. After finishing the game with 28 points on 7-11 shooting from three, he’s now scoring 21.3 points per game this season. It’s only the second time in his career he’s averaged over 20 points per contest.
Jonathan Kuminga
For all of his frustrations, Kuminga played well as well. In 28 minutes, he posted 17 points (on 6-13 shooting from the field), three assists, two steals, and one block.
He had a little more space to work with inside the paint. However, the biggest difference was simply that more of his tough attempts went down. He also was able to focus on getting downhill more than stretching the floor. To that point, in the first three games, 37.5 percent of his field goal attempts were threes. Against the Pelicans, he only had a 23.1 percent three-point attempt rate.
Brandin Pod Ziemia
Podziemski, who had also been underperforming offensively, had his best game of the season. In a team-high 33 minutes, the lively playmaker tallied 19 points, five assists, two blocks, one steal, and zero turnovers. He shot 8-18 from the field, including 3-8 from beyond the arc.
Lindy Waters III
No player impressed as much as Lindy Waters III. That isn’t to say that he played better than everyone, just that he’s performed the best relative to expectations. The fourth-year pro finished the game with 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 30 minutes. He was 3-7 from three-point range.
After the game, Kerr told reporters that Waters has been one of their best players since training camp. Waters offered this: “I got a strap on me. I just wake up and I can shoot it, no matter if I’m playing or not” (per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
With the way he played against the Pelicans, he might just get the chance to prove it.
If Waters Is In, Who’s Out?
The Warriors have a lot of rotation-caliber players, which has made Kerr’s job more complicated than he may like. There’s strength in numbers and having too much talent is better than the alternative. Nonetheless, coaching is about managing people and egos as much as a basketball game. When a player is squeezed out of minutes, it can lead to uncomfortable situations (see: Kuminga).
However, Kerr really may need to find a steady role for Waters. Over the past two seasons, the Oklahoman sharpshooter has went 44-97 from three, converting 45.4 percent of his long-range attempts. He also makes heads-up plays at both ends, playing with the sort of hardiness expected of a 27-year-old.
This is where the conversation gets really interesting though. If Waters is in, then who’s out?
The Bench’s Black Sheep?
Judging by their performances, veteran forward Kyle Anderson may be who needs to be pushed out of the rotation.
Anderson’s the type of player whose film tells a different story than his numbers. He’s a savvy playmaker and solid defender, which doesn’t always show up in quantitative data. Nonetheless, a player shooting 22.2 percent from the field and 9.1 percent from three will usually do more harm than good, especially in the Warriors’ system.
