Kerr calls on fresh combos in road loss
Poole scores 26; rookie center’s minutes reach 35
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr looked at the schedule last week and identified Thursday night’s game against the Suns as an opportunity for guard Stephen Curry to rest.
Curry has played at an MVP level just to keep Golden State in the playoff picture, and he figured to benefit from a day off before a hectic AllStar Weekend — even if it meant hurting his team’s chances at an important win. That’s why, when the Warriors toiled through a predictable 12098 loss to the Suns at Phoenix Suns Arena, Kerr was hardly upset.
Without Curry, forward Draymond Green (rolled left ankle) and guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (sprained left wrist), Golden State was overmatched against a Phoenix team that boasts the league’s secondbest record. After digging a 20point hole midway through the second quarter, the Warriors got within single digits early in the third, only for tired legs on the back end of a backtoback and a sizable talent deficit to doom them to a blowout.
It marked Golden State’s third straight loss, the team’s first such skid of the season. Even in defeat, however, the Warriors had reasons for optimism. Only a couple of days removed from the G League bubble, secondyear guard Jordan Poole scored a careerhigh 26 points on 10for16 shooting (5for10 from 3point range).
Rookie guard Nico Mannion, also fresh from the G League, started in his homecoming game and flashed potential as an NBA facilitator. Though he committed
five turnovers and shot just 3for10 from the field, he looked at ease initiating the offense and dished out a teamhigh six assists.
“I felt good,” Mannion said. “I think that the G League bubble had a lot to do with that. Getting comfortable was the biggest thing. Once you’re comfortable, it’s really not about who’s on the other team.”
Rookie center James Wiseman, who started his first game in more than a month as Kerr tries to speed up his development, finished with a doubledouble of 11 points and 11 rebounds. At times, he was bullied on the low block by Suns center Deandre Ayton. But he was aggressive crashing the glass, attempted two 3pointers (he missed both) and ran the floor with ease — all encouraging signs for the franchise’s most important young building block.
In a sense, Thursday was reminiscent of last season: With Curry sidelined, the Warriors could go all in their youth movement. This was somewhat of a luxury in a year that has been largely about getting back to the playoffs.
With so much pressure on jostling for postseason positioning, Kerr hasn’t gotten to focus as much on grooming his youngsters as he wants. That’s why, with the absences of Curry, Green and Oubre likely ensuring a loss to the Suns, Kerr decided to insert Wiseman back into the starting lineup.
Though Kevon Looney probably gives the Warriors a better chance to start games well because he’s a much more solid defender than Wiseman, the Warriors recognize that Wiseman is the franchisecenterinwaiting. They need him playing a key role if they’re going to vault back to title contention next season.
“I’m learning on the fly,” said Wiseman, who played a careerhigh 35 minutes. “Playing more, I was able to fix my mistakes.”
With that in mind, Golden State could stomach the occasional botched rotation or offensive read from him Thursday.
Mannion and Poole, though not nearly as critical to the franchise’s longterm outlook as Wiseman, also needed to get extended NBA minutes if they’re going to be factors for the Warriors.
Thursday allowed them to get valuable experience and show the front office that they can already help in certain ways. Poole is far more than the catch-and-shoot specialist he was billed as coming out of Michigan, with impressive ballhandling skills and a knack for getting to the rim. Mannion, meanwhile, is a quality enough passer to get him on the floor despite his shaky jumper.
After a weeklong break, the Warriors will enter the second half of the season in much the same place they started: trying to find lineup combinations that work. Getting Wiseman, Poole and even Mannion plenty of opportunity will be a priority — as will securing a playoff berth.
“Combinations are so important in this league,” Kerr said. “I think, in the first half of the season, we found combinations that made us really good defensively. ... Ultimately, we’ve got to find cominations that help us play well on both ends.”