“Strength in numbers”. If reports are to be believed, then this is a quote that the Golden State Warriors believe in. Going into the ongoing NBA season, Steve Kerr himself chose to follow it as his on-court strategy. He took a bold step by announcing, “I’ve never played 12 before, but we’re going to do it. It’s not easy on anybody, but we just have to trust that, from one night to the nexts, we’re going to find guys and combinations that really work.” The strategy may have worked well for the team during the early part of the season. However, now the Warriors hold a 12-7 win record and are currently on a loss streak of 4 games. In light of this, even Stephen Curry is compelled to ask whether the strategy needs to be in place for the long term.

In the aftermath of the recent Warriors-Suns game, Stephen Curry engaged in a Q&A session with media members. During the same, he addressed his team’s losing streak, stating,“You have to make adjustments.” Instantly, however, he added “Whatever that means”, highlighting that he himself doesn’t know how to get out of this pit. He highlighted the minutes being divided unevenly, with Mo (Moses Moody) playing 2 minutes while Kyle Anderson averaged 7 “three games ago”. Curry was blunt when asked if these issues show that the rotation needs to be shortened.

“I mean, the only thing I will say is, it’s hard for anybody to know or try to get a rhythm and know what you’re gonna be asked to do. In the 1 quarter, 2 quarter, we had to play 13 guys. That’s tough. We are a unique team. It’s a unique situation. I don’t think it’s been done in the league by never, but it is an 82-game schedule, and you gotta figure out what adjustments need to (be) made” said the All-Time Three-Point Leader. Later on, he added, “Do we need to shorten it? We probably need to be more predictable on a night-to-night basis so guys can get a little bit of a rhythm,” said Curry. “Is that shortening it one or two guys? Maybe.”

During the first quarter of the Warriors-Suns game itself, Steve Kerr used 11 players in rotation. Kevin Durant took advantage of this break in rhythm and took the lead in the first half by 35-29. By the time the first half concluded, the same lead had extended to 66-49.

Stephen Curry was coming back after a 1-game hiatus due to recovering from his knee soreness. Therefore, he had difficulty adjusting in the first half. This was seen when he made only 2 points through a 0-5 shooting from the field. After the break, he gained back his momentum and concluded the night with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Unfortunately, no one else scored above 20. Durant and co, having restricted the game to a 9-player rotation, held the advantage throughout the matchup.

According to Blue Man Hoop, the constant rotations may have affected the defense of the Warriors. After all, Suns players repeatedly got wide-open looks through drive-and-kicks, through the Warriors stars double-teaming, etc. The Bay Area squad credited themselves for keeping Devin Booker and Kevin Durant in check, restricting the shooting at 15-of-40. However, they faltered with Grayson Allen, Tyus Jones, Royce O’Neale, and Monte Morris, who succeeded in dividing the offensive effort.

In light of this, even Steve Kerr seems convinced about staying consistent.

Amidst Stephen Curry’s criticism, Steve Kerr discusses shortening the rotation “Sometimes you have too many options”

As Steve Kerr sat down for his segment of the post-game presser, he made it apparent that they were going to touch upon the rotation. When asked about it, even Kerr seemed confused for a moment over how many players he used during the early part of the game.

For the coach, he highlighted using everybody to get a feel of who can play better. When it came to the loss, Kerr believed that the roster did not have “enough juice and energy”, thanks in part to the losing streak they had set for themselves. Despite this, Kerr realized that if there was one area, the team could work on, it was consistency.

“Yeah, we gotta think about shortening it. We gotta think about the combination. We’ve been really looking carefully at the combinations that we play game-to-game. And we have a lot of options,” said Kerr. “It’s not always an easy thing, when sometimes you have too many options, and you’re trying to mix and match, and you’re trying to avoid playing certain guys together. You’re trying to get other guys together.”

The Golden State Warriors have now fallen to the 4 place on the Western Conference Points chart. With 63 games still remaining in the regular season, Stephen Curry and Co have the chance to bounce back. Whether Kerr’s realization can improve things during the upcoming games is something that remains to be seen.