Stability benefits Warriors’ reserves
DALLAS — Now that the Golden State Warriors have essentially finalized their regularseason rotations, their bench production is beginning to rise across the board.
Jordan Poole, fresh off an efficient 24-point performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, appears to be the biggest beneficiary of head coach Steve Kerr’s decision to insert Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins into the second unit to begin the second and fourth quarters. Since Golden State’s first road win of the season against the Houston Rockets, the same game Kerr’s second-unit experiment began to yield favorable results, JaMychal Green is shooting 65% from the floor.
It seems as if second-year forward Jonathan Kuminga is starting to understand his role as a rotation player for the defending champions, showcasing advancing levels of awareness on of
fense and better effort on defense.
But what is the source of all this production?
The Warriors have had at least 30 assists in each of their past three games. The ball is zipping around the court, unselfishly, finding the right man in advantageous situations. Monday afternoon in Dallas, Donte DiVincenzo told reporters that the recent uptick in ball movement has been the catalyst behind the team's recent offensive success and that the bench has probably benefited from it the most. Poole, Kuminga and JaMychal Green are starting to play some of their best basketball of the early season because of it. DiVincenzo, who signed a two-year, $9.3 million deal to join the Warriors in July, is starting to find his rhythm, too.
“Me personally, the ball found me way more last night,” DiVincenzo said. “And that doesn't mean I need to take shots. But when that ball is zipping around and sometimes you're so open you need to take shots and it's fun to play basketball that way. And also, it helps guys build confidence. If Jordan is driving in traffic and he kicks it, he has confidence that somebody's going to knock it down.”
DiVincenzo, 25, appeared in the Warriors' first three games before a hamstring injury suffered against the Kings on Oct. 23 sidelined him for the next eight. Since returning on Nov. 11, he's averaging 4.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 17.6 minutes per game while shooting just 37% from the field.
While he has struggled to find his shot, one thing that's always been a constant with the guard is his defense. And having a healthy DiVincenzo in the fold, along with Wiggins and Draymond Green on the second unit, gives Poole more freedom to focus on scoring.
But now that the Warriors' second unit is becoming less stagnant, they're starting to see what kind of offensive piece DiVincenzo can be as well. In 18 minutes against Minnesota on Sunday, he scored a season-best 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting (4-of-8 on 3-pointers) and added six rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal and didn't commit a turnover.
“He brings great energy off the bench, and that's what you want from your bench,” Kerr said. “You want to feel and energetic impact from guys and that's what he does. And now that he's healthy, coming off the hamstring pull, he's starting to get come comfortable with his shot and we're seeing that.”
DiVincenzo, a four-year NBA veteran, hails from a Villanova offense that was predicated on unselfishness, ball movement and feel. And when Golden State is at its best offensively it presumably should get the best out of DiVincenzo, because it's a system tailor-made for him.
“I'm still figuring everything out, still trying to get used to playing with all these guys,” DiVincenzo said. “This is a whole different group and I'm currently just adjusting, not forcing it, letting the game come to me. Last game shots were falling, but that's not my focus. My focus is impacting the energy, getting guys like Jordan shots, (JaMychal Green) easy dunks. And hopefully it comes back to me.”