Kerr Has Options to Maximize Curry's Minutes
His performance on the Warriors’ recent roadtrip was reminiscent of the Stephen Curry at the apex of his unfairness in 2015-16.
Curry made a ridiculous no-look flipshot Tuesday against the Spurs after hitting an off-the-dribble triple from the logo in Dallas, and averaged 37.3 points on 57.6% shooting and 50% from three over the four games in Texas.
But after going just 2-2 away from home, the pressure is on Steve Kerr to figure out how to best utilize Curry – especially in the fourth quarter.
Golden State fans are familiar with Kerr’s routine – play Curry for the entire first quarter, sub him in halfway through the second quarter, and repeat the same thing for the third and fourth periods, respectively.
What has happened recently, however, is when Curry enters in the fourth quarter, the six minutes-plus without him on the floor have felt like an eternity. The team’s points per 100 possessions drop by over seven points without Curry on the floor, and its effective field goal percentage dips 5.4% without the two-time MVP.
His importance down the stretch was apparent in Monday’s loss in San Antonio, when Curry scored the last 14 points for the Warriors after re-entering the contest with 5:33 to play. The six-time All Star’s 33.7 MPG are on par with his annual averages, and according to Kerr, it’s going to stay that way regardless of the result.
“I’m into the long game,” Kerr said. “We're counting on having Steph here for a long time, many, many years ahead. I’m not interested in grinding through this season, which is already a very difficult season given the COVID regulations… we’re not throwing Steph out there for 40 minutes to chase wins.”
If Kerr doesn’t budge on changing the minutes, he could certainly change up the rotations and play Curry at different times and with different guys.
One idea, while eliminating the potential for Curry’s buzzer-beating theatrics for at least the end of the first quarter, would be to lift the guard for the final three minutes of the first period, and place those three minutes at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
While that would total 21 consecutive minutes of his being on the court, he would get rest at halftime, in between the third and fourth quarters and before his final six-minute stint. This maximizes his minutes on the court against tired opponents and during “winning time”, and allows his momentum from the third quarter to carry over.
The other solution is to stagger Curry’s minutes with other Warriors, and there is one player whose on-court presence has coincided with an even higher offensive rating and eFG% for the team – Draymond Green.
On Monday, Green shared all 36 minutes on the floor and all 12 minutes on the bench with Curry. And while the team’s offensive success with Green on the court can surely be explained partially by his sharing the hardwood with Curry throughout the season, they have not always taken the floor at the same time.
This is where Kerr can capitalize. By staggering Curry and Green’s minutes, you can use Green’s decision-making and passing to help generate better offense for Curry-less lineups that have struggled with Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andrew Wiggins.
Curry, even though he will miss Green’s passing and screen-setting on the court for stretches, can lean on his own passing and his generational ability to create his own offense to supplement Green’s absence, while also adding another shooter to the mix.
Things are complicated in the absence of a true big man, meaning Eric Paschall may need to step in as small-ball center with Curry on the court so Green can play with a struggling second unit.
But if Kerr can figure it out, Curry’s entrance in the fourth quarter won’t be just to get Golden State back into games – it will be to close them out.