Backups deal with varying playing time
LOS ANGELES — In an alternate universe, Patrick McCaw is entering his senior season at UNLV. He shepherds a young team, impresses NBA scouts with his old-school game and hopes to get drafted in June.
But in April 2016, after leading the Rebels in points, assists, steals, three-pointers and minutes as a sophomore, McCaw opted to declare for the NBA draft instead of enduring a coaching change at UNLV. He had an impressive season as a rookie, but his minutes have diminished this season.
The fact that he still could be slogging through study halls and exams puts his reduced role with the Warriors in perspective.
“I always play it out in my head,” said McCaw, whose average of 11.7 minutes per
game are 3.4 less than he averaged as a rookie last season. “Man, I’m supposed to be a senior in college right now, about to graduate in the spring. It’s a great feeling, man, just to have this opportunity and be in the position I’m in. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
That doesn’t make Golden State head coach Steve Kerr’s roster conundrum any easier, of course. The man behind the Warriors’ “Strength in Numbers” catchphrase is struggling to give players the on-court run their abilities might warrant. His problem finding minutes for McCaw is a symptom of a larger issue.
Though most coaches’ roster concerns are limited to the starting lineup and rotation, Kerr is fretting over the inactive list — a place typically reserved for injured players, older players or long-term projects.
With no one injured, Kerr is forced to select between a handful of role players to join secondyear center Damian Jones — currently on assignment with Golden State’s Gatorade League affiliate — on the inactive list.
Center JaVale McGee, fresh off a breakthrough 2016-17 season, was inactive last Wednesday against a small-ball Toronto team. Rookie forward Jordan Bell followed two games inactive with eight points, two rebounds and two assists in 12 minutes of Monday’s rout of the Clippers. Three days after chipping in nine points off the bench to help the Warriors hold off Washington, forward Kevon Looney was back on the inactive list for that win at Staples Center.
“I’m in a really tough spot,” Kerr said. “It’s a good spot, but it’s a tough spot. I don’t know who I should deactivate. Everyone deserves to be active.”
To sign Kevin Durant last year, Golden State was forced to move forward without second-unit favorites Festus Ezeli, Leandro Barbosa, Marreese Speights and Brandon Rush. The new-look bench, cobbled together with the left-over money, featured low-budget contributors David West, Ian Clark, McCaw and McGee.
Because the Warriors had four All-Stars, reserves focused mostly on the game’s nuances: setting screens, grabbing rebounds, passing to the open man. It was a solid enough bench, but Golden State has a rare luxury: Free agents often are willing to take less than their market value to chase a championship with the Warriors.
Though it signed Durant, Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston, among others, to contract extensions this past summer, Golden State rounded out its roster with Bell, Nick Young and Omri Casspi — all of whom so far have been upgrades from the players they’re replacing. It also helped that Looney, whose first two NBA seasons were plagued by injury, impressed in training camp after shedding 30 pounds from his 6-foot-9 frame over the summer.
Curry, Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson still shoulder the load offensively, but the Warriors’ backups are worthy complements. Through Monday, Golden State ranked 15th in the NBA, up from 23rd last season, in bench scoring.
When Bell, Young and Casspi arrived for training camp, Kerr told them to expect inconsistent minutes. Now, only two weeks into the season, he often wishes the roster allowed him to play them more. A versatile defender with a high motor, Bell looks like a secondround steal. Young’s shooting ability provides much-appreciated punch off the bench. Despite being hampered early by minor ankle injuries, Casspi is an ideal fit in Kerr’s movement-heavy system.
Kerr has used 11 or 12 players regularly in close games this season, up from his usual 10. The improved depth has left many returning role players with significantly reduced time on the court.
“That’s all part of being part of a championship team, right?” said center Zaza Pachulia, whose 14.6 minutes per game are 3.5 less than he averaged last season. “You make sacrifices to win.”
McCaw shares the sentiment. After starting 20 games as a rookie last season, he isn’t complaining as he shares backup wing minutes with Young and Casspi. Sporadic playing time on a defending NBA champion beats a leading role for a rebuilding UNLV team.
“I’m just surrounded by so many great players,” McCaw said. “To be in this atmosphere and to be surrounded by great people, I just know I’m going to continue to grow. That’s the big thing for me.”