{"id":108123,"date":"2024-11-21T11:48:38","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T16:48:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=108123"},"modified":"2024-11-21T11:48:38","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T16:48:38","slug":"warriors-strength-in-numbers-revitalized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/21\/warriors-strength-in-numbers-revitalized\/","title":{"rendered":"Warriors Strength in Numbers Revitalized"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back in the mid-2010s, when the Warriors were first establishing the foundation of their dynasty, the phrase \u2018strength in numbers\u2019 was almost inescapable. It was a clear, straightforward, and not overly complex motto that was easy for a fanbase to get behind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the Warriors eventually moved into the \u2018super-team\u2019 era of their dynasty, with the addition of Kevin Durant<\/a>, \u2018strength in numbers\u2019 became less prominent in the overall complexion of the Warriors. The idea of \u2018strength in numbers\u2019 was still there, but everyone knew the perception of the team had much more to do with the nearly unparalleled level of top-tier star power inhabiting the top of the roster. Now, as the Warriors try to squeeze every last drop possible out of whatever remains of their dynasty, \u2018strength in numbers\u2019 once again feels increasingly fitting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Warriors Strength in Numbers<\/b> Revitalized<\/b><\/h2>\n

Steve Kerr Still Evaluating Rotation<\/b><\/h3>\n

It’s no secret that much of the Warriors’ early season success has been due to their depth. Stephen Curry<\/a> has been dynamic as always, but there’s no denying his supporting cast has been equally impressive. With four players averaging double figures scoring and a bench<\/a> unit averaging a league-leading 55 points per game, the Warriors have jumped out to an 11-3 record, implementing a \u2018death by a thousand cuts\u2019 sort of attack. <\/span>With so many quality rotational pieces at Coach Steve Kerr\u2019s disposal, much has been made about how best to divvy up playing time. There are only so many minutes to go around, so while it is a luxury for Kerr to have such an array of options, it’s still a challenge nonetheless.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According<\/a> to Kendra Andrews of ESPN, it has always been the Warriors\u2019 intention to let Kerr use the first 30 games of the 2024-2025 season to figure out a consistent starting unit and regular rotation. This report should come as little surprise, as the Warriors have already tried out eight different starting lineups. While some of those lineup changes have been due to injuries, the Warriors also have a lot of deserving guys. Additionally, anyone paying attention to the reports<\/a> that came out during the Warriors\u2019 training camp should have seen this fluctuating rotation coming. Outside of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green<\/a>, there is really no one\u2014as of now at least\u2014who should reasonably expect to consistently start and finish every game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Last Word<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u2018Strength in numbers\u2019 has once again become a fitting slogan for the Golden State Warriors. Their depth is currently their greatest strength, and Kerr\u2019s ability to deploy said depth thus far has been masterful. Second-year GM\u00a0Mike Dunleavy<\/a> Jr has also done a bang-up job of crafting a team that is versatile and able to play a handful of different ways. By having such a malleable roster, the Warriors can tweak their rotation on a night-to-night basis, to better attack any given situation. In need of more perimeter shooting, the Warriors can lean more heavily on players like Buddy Hield<\/a> and Lindy Waters<\/a> III. In need of more defensive switchability, the Warriors can call on players like Kyle Anderson<\/a>\u00a0or Gary Payton II.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

As Kerr continues to nail down a more consistent rotation, players deserving of minutes may have to sacrifice a bit of playing time here and there. However, in the long run, all that will likely do is keep guys fresher and healthier as the season wears on. If Steph Curry, who is currently playing just 29.2 minutes per game, can be that much more vitalized by his reduced workload as the playoffs near, then it’ll all be worth it. For any rotational player on the Warriors who may be feeling put off by a potential reduction in role or minutes, just ask Andre Iguodala<\/a> or David Lee<\/a> what could be waiting in exchange for sacrificing individual awards on a Curry-led title-contending team. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Back in the mid-2010s, when the Warriors were first establishing the foundation of their dynasty, the phrase \u2018strength in numbers\u2019 was almost inescapable. It was a clear, straightforward, and not overly complex motto that was easy for a fanbase to get behind.\u00a0 As the Warriors eventually moved into the \u2018super-team\u2019 era of their dynasty, with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5268,"featured_media":108292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,25,62],"tags":[629,256,431,1593,409,2795,69,1021,49771,412,48,528],"class_list":["post-108123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-warriors","category-nba","tag-andre-iguodala","tag-buddy-hield","tag-david-lee","tag-deanthony-melton","tag-draymond-green","tag-gary-payton-ii","tag-kevin-durant","tag-kyle-anderson","tag-lindy-waters-iii","tag-mike-dunleavy-jr","tag-stephen-curry","tag-steve-kerr"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5268"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}