Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 6 vs. Rockets

2. Time for more Bell

Don’t worry, I did not forget about Looney.

Kerr, whose coaching conservatism almost makes his politics surprising, has handled his big man rotation far differently than many had hoped for. As I discussed in my series preview, Green at center was Golden State’s best option, and should be used almost as much as Green altogether.

Instead, Kerr has given Green just 15.3 minutes per game at the position, per NBA.com. Looney has averaged 19.7.

Kerr is seemingly comfortable with Looney’s baseline. He plays fundamentally sound defense, runs the floor in transition and does not turn the ball over or take bad shots. He’s largely mistake-free.

When I broke down the non-Green center minutes in my preview, I discussed that Looney made sense as an option if everything else was going well for Golden State. He is not going to come into the game and give Houston life with moving screens, three-shot fouls or similar miscues.

However, if the Warriors were struggling, I wrote that Jordan Bell made far more sense. He demands more attention on offense due to his playmaking and vertical spacing, making him the perfect option if Houston is successfully keying in on Golden State’s stars. Meanwhile, his ability to switch on defense and cover ground as a help guy is the perfect antidote to Harden going at Looney in isolation or Houston playing five-out with Looney off ball.

In Game 6, Bell gave the Warriors that ceiling they needed. Upon entering the game for Looney in the first quarter, he immediately grabbed a big-time offensive rebound. He proceeded to throw it away, but his energy and activity eventually won out. That board, along with his sole bucket and only block, were three of the most crowd-pleasing and team-inspiring plays of the game.

Bell finished +10 (the only bench player in positive double figures), while Looney was +8 (the only starter who was not).

If Iguodala can go in Game 7, Kerr should strongly consider giving Green 30-plus minutes at center. If not, he should consider Bell — if not as a starter, then certainly after feeling out the tenor of the contest.