McCaw makes most of 1st start of season
Patrick McCaw emerged from hibernation in style.
McCaw played a season-high 33 minutes Monday night, making his first start of the season with Stephen Curry sidelined. The Warriors lost 110-106 to Sacramento, but McCaw impressed with 16 points, seven assists and four steals.
He typically plays shooting guard or small forward, but head coach Steve Kerr slid him into the point-guard spot, given Curry’s absence.
“Pat understands how to play,” Kerr said Tuesday. “He made some great cuts off the ball. He’s a playmaker, and he doesn’t have to be a point guard to play there . ... I loved his aggressiveness and the pace he brought to the game.”
McCaw showed abundant promise as a rookie last season, when he started 20 games and averaged 15.1 minutes. That average is down to 13.2 this season; McCaw had exceeded 10 minutes only once in the seven games before Monday night.
Even after his strong outing against the Kings, he could disappear again. Kerr has the luxury of a deep roster, including wing reserves Omri Casspi and Nick Young.
And it’s easy to forget, McCaw is only 22 years old.
“This is the NBA, nobody is guaranteed anything,” Kerr said. “He’s a young guy and he still has to earn his minutes. We have a really deep team, and he understands that.
“Patrick has a good perspective on things. He knows his time will come. If anything, I want him to seize it. I want him to grab that role and not look back. Sometimes, he overthinks things, by his own admission.
“But when he just plays like he did (Monday) night, when he’s just out there playing and flowing, he’s really, really a good basketball player.” Briefly: The Warriors and Lakers meet three times in the next 24 days: Wednesday night and Dec. 18 in Los Angeles, and then Dec. 22 in Oakland. They close their regular-season series March 14 at Oracle Arena . ... Klay Thompson and Zaza Pachulia are the only Warriors to start all 21 games this season. ... Kerr on a road trip that includes stops in Miami and Detroit: “Swimsuit and winter coat, side by side. You don’t often do that.”