HOUSTON - To start small, with Draymond Green centering the Golden State Warriors instead of playing power forward, or not to start small?
"That's really the question," head coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday after practice in Houston, weighing the potential demand placed on Green - guarding traditional centers is more demanding physically for the 34-year-old - against the inherent spacing and speed that smaller lineups provide.
"We have questions every single game about who to start and how to match up with other teams," Kerr observed. "It may be a fluid thing. ... Maybe that'll continue. This team doesn't present itself with who should start or ... who should come off the bench."
The Warriors are due to play the Houston Rockets on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup. On Tuesday, Kerr wouldn't commit to who he plans to start. Golden State has not played the Rockets this season with their full complement of rotational players available.
Reserve wing Moses Moody (left knee soreness) won't play Wednesday, but starting swingman Andrew Wiggins (right ankle impingement) returned to practice with a questionable designation, though Kerr said he's "ready to go" after sitting through Sunday's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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"We have a lot of variables that factor in (who starts)," Kerr added. "The guys have been great at embracing whatever we're asking of them. Playing hard. Competing. I love this group. I love coaching these guys and we'll just have to keep navigating everything and doing the best we can."
Kerr turned to a small-ball starting lineup Sunday amid influence from Pabail Sidhu, the Warriors' vice president of analytics and innovation, tabbing Stephen Curry, Buddy Hield, Gary Payton II and Jonathan Kuminga to start with Green, a traditional power forward.
In 17 minutes, the fivesome shot 65.5% from the field - outscoring the Timberwolves by 11 points by balancing shooting and slashing with speed and switchability. In bigger lineups, Kevon Looney (12 points, nine rebounds) offered 21 minutes as a traditional center.
Another fivesome featuring Green at center with Curry, Payton, Hield and Wiggins has won its 26 minutes this season by 37.8 points per 100 possessions. On the other hand, the unit with Kuminga in Payton's place in 17 minutes so far: minus-19.2 points per 100 possessions.
The Warriors continue to catalog data to inform their decisions.
"Every game is different with this team," added Kerr, who brought Green off the bench Friday against the Timberwolves so Kuminga could start next to Looney in the frontcourt.
To Kerr's point, Golden State's rotation Sunday - 11 or 12 deep for much of the season - was scaled back to 10, of which eight played more than 20 minutes: Curry, Hield, Payton, Kuminga, Green, Looney, Brandin Podziemski and Lindy Waters III.
"From the very beginning, we've had guys playing at a high level up and down the roster. These decisions are never easy. So, we'll see," Kerr said.
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