The Golden State Warriors were hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy just a year ago. They are now battling to avoid participating in the Play-In Tournament.
Even though players like Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga have obvious talent, the bench has been inconsistent to the point where the Warriors are concerned heading into the postseason, according to Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney. This is in addition to the team’s terrible 9-30 record on the road.
A Western Conference official told Deveney, “It has been a concern for them all season, really, and they’re anxious about it.” “The front office was worried about it, the coaches were worried about it, and the players are worried about it. They went and acquired [Gary] Payton for that reason [at the trade deadline].
“They have talent on the bench when you have [Donte] DiVincenzo and Jordan Poole, Kuminga and JaMychal Green, plus Payton. But what they don’t have is chemistry and they don’t have their roles set up. That was so important last year. They had Otto Porter and [Nejmanja] Bjelica, and they had Poole and Payton. They knew what they’d get with each of those guys and they could throw out Moses Moody or Kuminga if they needed. Now you have guys and you just don’t know what they’re going to give you. That is what they are worried about most there.”
The Warriors’ second unit is 22nd out of 30 in terms of plus-minus despite having one of the league’s finest starting units (-338).
Steve Kerr Sends Message on Moses Moody
Moody, meanwhile, came off the bench and had a significant impact in the victory over Oklahoma City. Before the game, Stephen Curry lauded both Kuminga and him for their capacity and desire to maintain readiness.
“It’s just a matter of being ready [and] staying ready,” Curry said. “They’ve been asked to play a lot of different roles. Been in and out of the rotation. JK’s [Kuminga] obviously played a lot more recently and has proven that he’s taking that next step. It’s still [about] trying to put game after game together, and those guys, to be able to show up when we’re still missing wings [and] Klay [Thompson] goes down, they stay ready. For Mo [Moody], though, I think he saw enough Razorbacks out there. He felt like he was back in college for a little bit.”
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