Golden State Warriors Mailbag: Spurs, McAdoo, Rest
Feb 6, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr talks with guard Stephen Curry (30) in the third quarter of their game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 124-116. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
@MaggiePilloton why does Steve Kerr sit down most of his starters throughout the 4th quarter? Will it change during playoffs?
— Warriors (@_BB4L) April 7, 2015
Kerr has handled the rotation and minutes allocation extremely well this season. He has a similar approach to Gregg Popovich’s that he understands the need to rest his stars in order to preserve them for the playoffs, whether that means giving them an entire night off or resting them for the fourth quarter.
Not only does sitting the starters in the fourth quarter give the players extra rest and hopefully prevent future injuries, but it also keeps the bench fresh and active. The Warriors have an incredibly deep roster, and that’s one of their strengths. Kerr spoke at the beginning of the season about how he will have trouble distributing minutes because of how deep the team is and how that was a good problem to have.
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Kerr is right that the team’s depth is incredibly beneficial, but it’s also valuable to the Warriors to have a bench that contributes on a regular basis, is conditioned to play regular minutes, and that stays engaged in all games. By resting the starters in the fourth quarter, Kerr keeps the bench playing at a high level.
This is also a cyclical process. With the starters getting some extra rest and building bigger leads, the bench gets more regular playing time and stays stronger, and then Kerr can afford to give the starters more rest again with a more effective bench. This illustrates the beauty and importance of depth.
In Mark Jackson‘s tenure, the Warriors had little to no bench, which wasn’t necessarily Jackson’s fault, but he played Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson more minutes than he should have, which led to fatigue. Kerr had to be especially careful this season, as both Curry and Thompson played for Team USA this past summer too.
The Warriors greatly benefit from a deep bench, but they will also greatly benefit from rested starters in the playoffs.