Kerr replaces Wiseman with Looney
Slow starts by starting five prompt the coach to make the switch
SAN rRANeISeO >> In an effort to improve the Warriors’ defense and avoid falling into early deficits, Warriors coach Steve Kerr has decided to start Kevon Looney at center, supplanting rookie James Wiseman, ahead of Monday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“We have a lot of moving parts,” Kerr said prior to the game. “We’re trying to develop young players and be a playoff team, be a contender. And we’re trying to do all that at once. And so part of that process is going to include occasional changes to lineups combinations. I’m very confident that this ultimately will be a good part of James’s development. He’s still going to play, but it gives him a slightly different role and a different way to look at the game.”
Wiseman, 19, has had his share of “SportsCenter”-worthy highlights, but has also struggled to protect the rim, guard in space and defend without fouling. Citing the need to improve defensively, Kerr will start Looney alongside Stephen Curry, Kelly Oubre Jr., Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. In his fiveplus seasons, Looney has emerged as a reliable defender who can switch onto multiple positions and execute a game plan.
This is not an indictment on Wiseman, the No. 2 pick in November’s draft who faced a steep
learning curve after having played just three college games at Memphis, according to Kerr. In 16 games with the Warriors, Wiseman averaged 11.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 21.4 minutes per game. Wiseman will slide into Looney’s previous role off the bench, likely seeing time at the end of the first and third quarters.
“We’re just continuing to try to help him understand the NBA game and learn the nuances of protecting the rim defensively, doing his job as a center at that end of the
floor,” Kerr said. “Then on offense, learning to set screens and learning the nuances of offensive pace and movement and the actions that he’s experiencing for the first time.”
G LEAGUE BUBBLE >> Along with two-way contract player Nico Mannion, second-year guard Jordan Poole and second-year forward Alen Smailagic are expected to accompany the Santa Cruz Warriors to the G League bubble near Orlando next month. On Feb. 8, 18 G League teams will begin a season that will include 12 to 15 games, followed by a postseason that will begin at the beginning of March. Mannion, a rookie, will see extended playing time running a
professional offense. Meanwhile, Poole (5.3 points, 1,2 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 10.3 minutes per game) should see more minutes than he is currently getting as part of Golden State’s rotation. Smailagic has not played yet this season after undergoing knee surgery, but the Warriors expect he will begin practicing soon and be able to fly to Florida for the bubble season.
Kerr and the Warriors are high on Mannion. The 19-year-old rookie has yet to play meaningful regular-season minutes but has impressed in practice. During practices, shootarounds and scrimmages, he relishes the short bursts when he can direct the offense
and execute the playbook.
However, because players on two-way contracts such as Mannion can only be active for up to 50 games with their NBA club, the Warriors have not been able to use him much outside of dire circumstances. Mannion has seen the court three times before Monday’s game where he was active again, never playing more than 10 minutes in each appearance. With the G League on hold, Mannion has not been able to develop with the Warriors’ affiliate in Santa Cruz.
The Warriors are confident that, by the time Mannion returns, he will be unencumbered by the two-way contract limits.