“Development does not equal playing time, we’re not just handing out minutes for the sake [it]” - Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr challenges youngsters to step up after stop-start beginning to the season
The Golden State Warriors have a 2-2 record. They had the best defense in the league last season. They are in the bottom-ten defensively this season.
In an interview on 95.7 The Game's "Damon & Ratto," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr spoke about what he expects out of his young core:
"Development doesn't equal playing time. It's watching film, performing in practice ... We got a championship team.
"We're not just handing out minutes for the sake of handing them out. We're actually trying to accomplish something here."
"The second-unit stuff, that's going to all, shake out here over the next few weeks.
"We don't have as set rotation yet, we're trying a lot of different people, and its effect also by the minutes restriction for Klay and Draymond so, that's going to take a little while overall."
Underwhelming performances from the Golden State Warriors bench so far
The Golden State Warriors allowed Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II to walk in free agency. They were crucial to the team's 2022 championship run. The Warriors will have to rely on their younger players to get through the season.
Their acquisitions of JaMychal Green and Donte DiVincenzo provided them with some additional depth. But the Warriors will need to see substantial improvement from the "Young Dubs" to have any shot at repeating as champions. James Wiseman, Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga will have to give the team quality minutes off the bench.
Their bench has been a glaring weakness. They haven't registered a positive cumulative box plus-minus (BPM) score through four games. The Dubs' bench has killed any momentum created by the starters.
For instance, the cumulative box plus-minus score of the starters was +39 in their loss against the Denver Nuggets. That means on average, the team went up eight points when a starter was on the floor. On the flip side, the bench was -64. The team went down 11 points when a bench player was on the floor.
Despite the massive BPM difference, the Warriors kept it close until the very end. The loss came down to a couple of possessions in the final minute of the game.
Their win against the Sacramento Kings was a similar story. The starters posted a staggering BPM of +83, while the bench went -58.
The Golden State Warriors' bench needs to pick up the pace, particularly on the defensive end. The Warriors have more than enough offensive weapons to get the job done. The bench needs to keep them afloat while the starters rest.
The Warriors host the Miami Heat at Chase Center tonight at 10:00pm/ET.