Warriors’ newfound depth guides them through tricky schedule
Golden State's veteran-laden team is better-positioned to handle a tough
stretch with 8 games in 8 cities in 13 days

>Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) and Chris Paul, right, talk
on the court during a time out during the second half of an NBA
basketball game against the Houston Rockets Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in
Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
By EVAN WEBECK | ewebeck@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: November 1, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. | UPDATED: November 2, 2023 at
7:36 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/11/01/warriors-newfound-depth-guides-them-through-tricky-schedule/

SAN FRANCISCO — Back home for barely 72 hours between jaunts to the
Central Time Zone, coach Steve Kerr did all he could so the Warriors’
stopover at Chase Center, for yet another meeting with the Sacramento
Kings, wouldn’t just feel like a visit to another city in the middle of
their daunting two-week stretch.

They returned home from a 3-0 road trip through Sacramento, Houston and
New Orleans in the wee hours Tuesday morning. They didn’t practice that
afternoon or hold shootaround before Wednesday’s contest. And after
hosting their playoff foes from a year ago for a 13th time just since
the end of last regular season, it’s wheels up to Oklahoma City to visit
another four cities before returning home again.

Eight games in eight cities in 13 days.

It’s a stretch that would test the depth of any team, that might have
killed last year’s squad, which didn’t win three consecutive road games
all season, let alone a stretch that included back-to-backs in a
different time zone.

But, as they have proven over the first two weeks of this season, these
aren’t last year’s Warriors.

Just look at Steph Curry’s usage, an indicator of perhaps the biggest
difference. Whereas the non-Curry minutes last season might as well have
been a black hole, they’ve been a net positive so far this season, due
in large part to the newly veteran-laden second unit led by Chris Paul
and Dario Saric, a pair of offseason additions.

Through four games, Curry has dropped 27, 41, 24 and 42 points. But he
has played more than 32 minutes only once.

“Guys don’t just show up on opening night ready to play big minutes. But
the last couple years we haven’t really had the luxury of keeping
Steph’s minutes down, in particular,” Kerr said. “Especially as it
relates to Steph I’d like to keep it closer to that 32 range, if
possible. This roster is proving to give me and give our staff that
opportunity.”

Kerr’s rotation goes 12 deep. That’s how many players are averaging
double-digits in minutes entering Wednesday, with nobody averaging even
32 per game.

Curry, at 31.8 per game entering Wednesday, hasn’t averaged 32 or fewer
per game over a full season since 2017-18. He averaged 34.7 per game
last season, his highest 2013-14, when he was 25, in his first All-Star
campaign.

“That matters,” Kerr said. “That adds up.”

On the second unit, Paul has a pick-and-roll partner in Saric, a former
teammate in Phoenix. Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis are
proving to be more polished than any recent rookie. Third-year lottery
picks Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody have also taken the necessary
steps forward to round out the rotation, while Gary Payton II gives them
a lockdown defender they lacked until they reacquired him late last season.

Without Curry on the floor, the Warriors are outscoring their opponents
by 29 points per 100 possessions, unheard of for previous Warriors teams.

>RELATED ARTICLES
Draymond Green colorfully describes last season’s chemistry in
contrast to this year’s Warriors
Warriors 3 Things: Is that the shot that gets Klay Thompson going?
Klay Thompson drains last-second jumper as Warriors sneak out win
over Kings
Klay Thompson returns to Warriors’ lineup after injury absence
Steve Kerr remembers Bob Knight with fitting anecdote: ‘He was
terrifying. Not gonna lie.’

“Just with Chris (Paul)’s presence, his ability to run the next group
that’s out there while Steph’s on the bench, it changes everything,”
Kerr said. “If we can keep (Steph’s minutes) closer to 32 this year, I
think it’ll bode well for Steph. And I do think this team is more
capable of it, just across the board with the veteran experience.”

So, while Kerr described Wednesday’s contest with the Kings, who were
missing star guard De’Aaron Fox, “the ultimate trap game,” he was
confident that his team was better-equipped to handle it than it was
last season, a credit to first-year general manager Mike Dunleavy.

“I think Mike made a determination right away when he got the job that
we needed to be more experienced and we needed to add someone like
Dario, just like two years ago when we had (Nemanja Bjelica) and Otto
Porter,” Kerr said. “I think Mike just read everything beautifully and
put together a great roster with the front office.”