Golden State Warriors 5 keys to series vs. Spurs
5. Correctly manage the guard rotation
Steve Kerr is a coach with consistent, established rotations for his players. While he will make changes where necessary, Kerr prefers to know the general rhythms of a game and which of his stars will be on the court when.
That consistency has been thrown out the window with the injury to Stephen Curry. Now that rotation includes a player just signed out of the G League, Quinn Cook. A former Duke guard, Cook has played well since coming to the team, but he is no Steph Curry.
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How many minutes should Kerr give Cook? During the regular season he often averaged in the mid-to-high 30s, but that seems too high for an unproven player of his stature. Then again, any minute he is not on the court is a minute the Warriors’ spacing is tightened, as backup point guard Shaun Livingston is not an outside shooter.
Kerr also has to identify how many minutes to play Nick Young as the backup 2-guard. Young is the kind of player a coach is generally trying to minimize in the postseason unless absolutely necessary, but his outside shooting adds an element that Livingston or Andre Iguodala do not bring.
Striking the balance in the guard rotation will be key to this first series with Curry. When does he lean on Klay Thompson? When does he lean on Draymond Green and Iguodala to initiate offense? And how many minutes can a player whose contract was converted to an NBA deal just days ago provide?