Young core left withering on sideline
Win-now approach risks development of Warriors’ future cogs
The Golden State Warriors must navigate a tricky situation: They need Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman to be factors in the postseason, but they might not secure a high playoff seed — or make the playoffs at all — if those three youngsters remain regular-season liabilities.
Solving that conundrum should be head coach Steve Kerr’s biggest priority in coming weeks. Though the Warriors routed a lottery-bound Spurs team on Monday night at Chase Center, they hardly look like a defending NBA champion.
The so-called “two-timeline plan” that Golden State executed to near-perfection last season has given way to one unquestionable timeline: Win now, no matter what.
As Kerr conceded before Sunday’s loss in Sacramento, “We’re not a team right now where we can afford to let guys make mistakes. We’re not good enough.” That sound bite only reinforced how much this season has deviated from expectations. Less than a month ago, many anticipated the Warriors resting core players often as they eased toward the playoffs. Now, with a 6-8 record and the league’s sixth-worst defense, they are in desperation mode.
Kerr has shortened his rotation, opting
for forward Anthony Lamb — a 24-year-old twoway-contract player signed in training camp — over Moody. Kuminga, the uberathletic 20-year-old with a 7-foot wingspan and supreme potential, can’t get on the floor during critical stretches. After posting a team-worst plus-minus of minus-73 through 11 games, Wiseman is about to begin an extended assignment with Golden State’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz.
All this suggests that Kerr intends to shepherd the Warriors through enough wins in the nearterm so he can take the pressure off his team and feel comfortable playing his youngsters again. But if the past four weeks have taught us anything, it’s that there are no guarantees Golden State will suddenly figure things out. By not giving Kuminga, Moody and Wiseman meaningful NBA minutes now, Kerr has taken a significant risk.
When the Warriors didn’t re-sign Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr., Damion Lee, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Nemanja Bjelica in free agency, they sent a message to their fans and the rest of the league that the time had arrived for their young players to assume larger roles. This calculated gamble came with the implication that Kuminga, Moody and Wiseman would have more room to work through mistakes.
With that not happening, few could blame the Warriors’ youngsters for getting frustrated. It shouldn’t be hard for a 20or 21-year-old to wait his turn behind proven players. But after losing minutes in the playoffs to the likes of Andre Iguodala, Lee and Bjelica, Kuminga and Moody must now watch from the bench as Lamb — an inexperienced player who lacks their upside — earns crunch-time minutes.
The longer Kuminga and Moody must sit, the tougher it will become for them to convey happiness. The G League made sense for Wiseman because he’s still working his way back from a knee injury, but it might be less palatable for the Warriors’ two 2021 lottery picks. After helping Golden State secure home-court advantage in the playoffs last season, Kuminga and Moody could view a lower level as a demotion.
Then there is the matter of their development. To progress into the valued cogs Kerr believes they can become, Kuminga and Moody must grasp the nuances of the Warriors’ system — something that can only happen with meaningful NBA minutes.
Though the notion of prioritizing winning until the team has enough of a playoff cushion to play the youngsters is well and good, it might not be realistic. What if the Warriors continue to hover around .500? Will Kuminga, Moody and Wiseman just need to settle for garbagetime minutes the rest of the season?
Even if Golden State does author an extended winning streak soon, Kerr could struggle to give Kuminga, Moody or Wiseman rotation roles. It is becoming obvious that this roster is more flawed than last season’s. If Kerr finds a rotation that thrives, he’ll likely want to stick with it.
Stephen Curry and Draymond Green have enjoyed two of the best starts of their careers, only for other players to plunge the Warriors into mediocrity. Free-agent additions JaMychal Green and Donte DiVincenzo haven’t made up for the departures of Payton and Porter. Even with more experience in the rotation in recent weeks, the Warriors have given up video-game-like point totals and fallen to 0-7 on the road.
The harsh reality is that Golden State’s older reserves might just not be as reliable this season, which could force Kerr to play Kuminga, Moody and even Wiseman during crucial sequences. This is the only way any of those three can be expected to contribute to a potential playoff run.
Though Kerr has stated again and again that player development doesn’t just happen in games, the Warriors are traversing a chaotic stretch where practices should be scarce. It would help Kuminga, Moody and Wiseman if Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole can play more consistently. As Thompson tries to find a rhythm with his shot after avoiding offseason pickup games, Poole is trying to settle in as the leader of the second unit.
Perhaps time is all they need. Or perhaps Kerr should tweak his rotation yet again, replacing Thompson in the starting lineup with Poole.
The only certainty is that something must change. Sitting Kuminga, Moody and Wiseman as losses mount isn’t sustainable — not just for them, but for the Warriors as a whole.