Golden State Warriors Mailbag: Rotation, Bogut or Green, Title Expectations
Feb 24, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr (M) talks to his team in the huddle during a timeout against the Washington Wizards in the first quarter at Verizon Center. The Warriors won 114-107. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
@MaggiePilloton How deep would Coach Kerr play his bench in the playoffs?
— Don L. 🏈⚾️🏀 (@sf_game) April 1, 2015
Typically, most coaches shorten their rotation in the playoffs to just seven players, sometimes six or eight depending on the team. I would assume that Steve Kerr would do the same.
However, the Warriors’ current rotation can include up to 12 or 13 players on a given night, which is high for an NBA team. The Warriors could perhaps use up to 10 players in the playoffs, given the amount of players in their current rotation, but those extra couple players would see very little minutes and definitely less than in the regular season.
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For example, the Warriors’ playoff rotation could be, assuming everyone stays healthy, Curry, Klay Thompson, Green, Bogut, Andre Iguodala (who would see more minutes in the playoffs), Harrison Barnes (who could see less minutes in the playoffs), Shaun Livingston, and a small amount of minutes split between Marreese Speights, Lee, and possibly Festus Ezeli.
There’s a tiny chance that Kerr could decide to use Leandro Barbosa in short spurts, depending on the situation, because of his playoff experience, but that’s somewhat unlikely too.
The Warriors’ rotation might vary slightly depending on matchups and the health of the regular rotation players, but I would assume that Kerr would most likely have an eight or nine-player rotation consisting of the starters, Iguodala, Livingston, and Speights, with an occasional appearance from Lee.
Next: Importance of Bogut and Green in the Playoffs