Assembling Golden State Warriors' Ideal Playoff Rotation
The Golden State Warriors have wrapped up the best record in the Western Conference and guaranteed themselves home-court advantage up until the NBA Finals. Head coach Steve Kerr's next challenge will be migrating through the dangerous field by employing the ideal playoff rotation.
This team is relatively the same group returning for the third straight year. Instead of being underdogs, Golden State is the title favorite.
So, who will get the minutes that Kerr will dole out?
Some questions were answered early on in the season.
Draymond Green solved the power forward problem early on in this campaign. He provided the answers and statistics on both sides of the court.
As a result, it will be interesting to see how much time David Lee will play, depending on the matchup. The other big question is: Who will get the minutes for the perimeter players?
The Starting Lineup
- PG Stephen Curry
- SG Klay Thompson
- SF Harrison Barnes
- PF Draymond Green
- C Andrew Bogut
Playing the starting group is the easy part, as the five have stayed away from injuries and been the most productive five-man lineup in the league with a 46-5 record through March 31.
Curry is the most magnetizing of the bunch, as he is arguably the new face of the NBA. The laid-back guard has been dominating on offense with his ball-handling skills and has the quickest jumper in the game.
As evidenced in the 110-106 win over the rival Los Angeles Clippers on March 31, Curry once again put on a display to remember.
He is averaging 23.7 points, 7.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game in just 32.9 minutes. Oh, yeah, he also leads the league in steals.
Defense wins championships, and Curry is a lot more adept at that skill this season.
Coach Kerr will definitely increase his use of his point guard by at least five minutes, depending on if the game is even close. The 40-minute mark that his MVP candidate has stayed well beneath this season will probably be closer to his new benchmark.
His backcourt mate, Thompson, is another defensive stalwart. He is the go-to guy when the opponent has a dominating perimeter player.
Thompson was given the task of guarding James Harden this season in the four games versus the Houston Rockets. Thompson limited Harden's shooting to only 40.5 percent from the field and a dismal 24.1 percent from behind the arc.
Klay’s offensive game is blossoming as well, as he is now a threat to drive to the hoop at will. He is converting most of the opportunities, but he's also getting to the line more (3.4 attempts per game this season compared to only 2.3 last year).
Kerr has looked like a genius by moving Harrison Barnes and Green into the starting rotation.
Barnes has significantly improved his play from last season as a reserve. He has put up career highs in almost every statistical category.
He moves well in the new offense and shows off his athletic ability. He can soar like his "Black Falcon" nickname or weave his way to the corner for an almost automatic three-pointer.
Green is a front-runner for both Most Improved Player and Defensive Player of the Year.
Green brings the soul to the team, as he has the fiery attitude that attaches to his style of play. Kerr named him the team’s heartbeat for that reason.
Finally, Bogut is the defensive captain and offensive facilitator at the center spot. He is buying into the system that Coach Kerr has provided, and he doesn’t mind having lesser numbers with a winning formula.
Per NBA.com, the Warriors are getting results out of a more concentrated role for Bogut.
Per Basketball-Reference.com, Bogut is currently leading the Association with a minuscule 95.8 defensive rating. Expect Bogut to man the floor somewhere near the 27.3 minutes that he played in his last go-around in 2013-14.
The Bench
The bench and the available remainder minutes will be heavily contested, and Kerr will probably predicate that decision on who the opponent puts on the floor.
The two guaranteed spots will be given to Shaun Livingston as the backup point guard and to Andre Iguodala as a point forward.
Shaun Livingston is a necessary piece because he handles the ball to free up Curry for a rest or to have him play off the ball as the shooting guard.
He is a change of pace because he doesn’t rely on the three-point shot like Curry. He usually posts up against other perimeter players.
Iguodala has the same handling capabilities, where he can run the point or be used at every perimeter position.
He has shown a more aggressive side during the past couple of months by converting more shots at a higher percentage (10.3 PPG in February and 9.4 PPG in March).
Iguodala will also be used in the final moments of close games as a defensive stopper. The Warriors should be tough to score on with last season’s NBA All-Defensive First Team member playing with the two current highest defensive-rated players in Bogut and Green, per Basketball-Reference.com.
As for the remainder of the perimeter minutes, Leandro Barbosa is still the “Brazilian Blur” and has the necessary playoff experience for Kerr to look his way.
Per Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle, Kerr likes what he brings to the court.
"He’s just such a burst of energy off the bench, and it’s really fun to see him playing so well. He’s an amazing teammate. Ask anybody on our team about L.B., and they’ll just get a huge smile on their face. He’s an incredible worker. He calls guys out in a good way. He challenges people. He has fun. He’s just a terrific player and a great teammate.
"
Justin Holiday has earned his way into the rotation, but he might get a fraction of the time and be used primarily for his defensive abilities.
The candidates' desire for playing time in the frontcourt is another issue.
Marreese Speights will definitely get some time on the court, as he has lived up to his nickname “Mo Buckets.” He has the ability to hit the long jumper or play inside.
Speights injects energy into his courtmates, and Kerr can rely on his career-high 10.7 points per game.
Per CBS Sports NBA, Speights drives to the hoop for the slam.
Kerr can use him at either power forward or center depending on what he needs.
Former All-Star Lee is no longer the featured player at the 4 position. However, he can provide the necessary jolt when called upon.
Lee knows it is a challenging time, but he understands the global view, per The Associated Press, via the Boston Herald: "It's definitely a challenging new role, and tough to find a rhythm sometimes. But I wouldn't trade it for anything with how our team's doing. I just see this as an opportunity to prove that I'm a team guy, prove how much I care about winning."
Festus Ezeli will also want his shot as Bogut’s backup. He languished on the bench for a prolonged period primarily because of a lingering left ankle injury.
Since his return, he has provided the rim protection and some offensive skills to boot.
Playoffs on Tap
Taking in all of the talent, Kerr will have to decide which situation is best to maximize the utility on the floor.
Since playoff rotations are tighter in the playoffs than in the regular season, Kerr will most likely keep Brandon Rush, Ognjen Kuzmic and James Michael McAdoo on the bench for cheerleading and emergency situations.
Since Kerr is not taking the foot off the gas, he can focus on refining his rotations. Here is what Kerr’s potential rotations should be:
Projected Playoff Rotations (Minutes) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| PG | Curry (38) | Livingston (10) | |
| SG | Thompson (35) | Barbosa (7) | Holiday (4) |
| SF | Barnes (25) | Iguodala (26) | |
| PF | Green (32) | Lee (13) | |
| C | Bogut (28) | Speights (14) | Ezeli (8) |
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