A season ago, Steve Kerr used 27 different starting lineup combinations for the Golden State Warriors.
And with all the tinkering he's already done in the first quarter of this 2024-25 NBA campaign, he could easily surpass that total by season's end. Honestly, at this rate, he might hit it before the All-Star break.
Now, to be fair, many of Kerr's changes this year have been due to injuries. The Warriors have played 23 games thus far, and only three players have appeared in all of them, those being Buddy Hield, Moses Moody, and Gary Payton II.
But while injuries have undoubtedly played a factor, it looks like Kerr is still just searching for the right combination to put on the floor to open the game. He seemingly had a set lineup in place a few weeks back, but that all changed when De'Anthony Melton suffered a season-ending ACL injury.
This past Sunday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he was forced to make another change as Andrew Wiggins was ruled out with a right ankle injury, which he suffered against those same Wolves two nights earlier.
On Sunday, Kerr opted for the small-ball route. Steph Curry, of course, was in his usual spot at the point but was joined in the backcourt by Payton, who made just his third start of the year. Buddy Hield made his second start in three games, but was at small forward instead of shooting guard. Jonathan Kuminga bumped up to power forward, and Draymond Green was moved to center.
And the change ultimately worked, as the Dubs took a 114-106 victory with 91 of their points coming from the starting five, which is a far cry from where this team was early on when the bench was providing nearly half the scoring.
Once Wiggins returns, which could be as early as Wednesday against the Houston Rockets, Kerr will be forced into another change as there's no way Wiggins will move to the bench. But even with Wigs back in the lineup, Kerr will likely continue with the small-ball group just to see how it plays out.
And that could end up being both a good thing and a bad thing.
Subscribe to The Whiteboard, FanSided’s daily email newsletter on everything basketball. If you like The Whiteboard, share it with a friend! If you don’t like The Whiteboard, share it with an enemy.
First, let's have a look at a couple of advantages of the Warriors small-ball lineup.
Advantage: It's easier for the Warriors to play their brand of basketball
lt's no secret that Golden State has long loved the three-point line. That's just what happens when Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are on your team.
But even with Thompson gone, this roster still has plenty of players willing to shoot from distance. In fact, some may not know that Buddy Hield has made more triples since entering the league than anyone in the NBA not named Steph Curry. And he's certainly not shying away from them this season, whether when he's hot or during the recent stretch in which he was ice cold.
With no Trayce Jackson-Davis or Kevon Looney in the lineup at center, every single Warrior in the starting five is a threat from distance, which naturally forces the defense to the perimeter, which opens up the lane for those who do choose to take it to the rim, which Wiggins has done a bit more of us this year.
Spreading the floor and moving the basketball is what helped the Dubs win four titles in eight years, so it stands to reason that Kerr would want to see a bit more of that.
Advantage: There isn't as much pressure on Steph Curry to score
When Kerr goes with bigger lineups, there isn't much offensive firepower in the frontcourt. Even in his prime, Green was never a big scorer. And while Jackson-Davis and Looney can put up points at times, neither is considered a real threat.
Naturally, much of the pressure to score falls to Curry. Not that there isn't always pressure on No. 30 to carry the load, but it's heightened with the bigger starting five.
Once Wiggins returns, it's not out of the realm of possibility that we'll see a starting five of Curry, Hield, Wiggins, Kuminga, and Green. Taking Green out of the equation, which isn't always necessary as he's had some solid offensive outings this year, the other three can put up plenty of points.
Even if Hield or Kuminga goes back to the bench, Payton can chip in occasionally when called upon. The overall point is that Curry doesn't have to be the be-all, end-all for this team in the early part of the game.
Disadvantage: The Warriors run the risk of having a weaker bench and weaker legs at the end of the year
As mentioned, the Warriors' bench accounted for nearly half the team's scoring in the early weeks of the season.
If Hield and Kuminga both remain in the starting five, that severely hinders the damage the Golden State reserves can do when the starters need a break.
It's not that Kerr still wouldn't have weapons off the bench, as he still has Looney, Jackson-Davis, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, and Lindy Waters III at his disposal. That said, though, Podziemski has struggled for most of the season, and Waters is just too inconsistent.
Also as mentioned, the reserves only accounted for 23 points in the win over Minnesota on Sunday. If Kerr can't get points from these guys, he's going to be forced to give more minutes to his starters. As such, Curry & Co. might have weaker legs come playoff time.
But Warriors fans may not have to worry about any of this, whether good or bad, as Kerr may simply change his mind yet again in the next week for two and change course. After all, he's got to get to at least 27 different lineups, right?