With a combination of injury issues and complete rotation uncertainty, Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors have frustratingly gone to nine different starting lineups in the last nine games.
Thankfully, that streak is set to come to an end with Kerr appeasing calls from fans for more consistency by confirming he'll again go to the starting lineup used in Sunday's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Warriors have a new starting lineup - but for how long?
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Sunday's starting lineup was a more traditional one, with Draymond Green's return from a three-game absence seeing him slot in at power forward alongside seven-footer Quinten Post. Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler are the obvious stalwarts in the starting unit, while Moses Moody was also re-inserted against the Trail Blazers after losing his spot over the previous three games.
Speaking on Tuesday, Kerr confirmed that the starting five will remain for Thursday's matchup with the Phoenix Suns, and will remain for the foreseeable future as the head coach fights to find any semblance of continuity amid an underwhelming 13-14 start to the season.
> In a search for better continuity, Steve Kerr said he will keep the five-man group of Steph Curry, Moses Moody, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Quinten Post as the established starting lineup for the foreseeable future (barring injury).
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> — Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) [December 16, 2025](https://twitter.com/anthonyVslater/status/2001027941380366556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
The first question becomes - how long is the forseeable future? We've seen this movie before where Kerr and the Warriors have seemingly found an effective lineup, only for it to last a shorter period that anyone had envisioned.
For what it's worth, this five-man combination hasn't made a great start in their first 15 minutes on the floor together over three different games. It has a -16.6 net rating, including a 137.1 defensive rating that largely stems from Portland's offensive barrage in Sunday's 136-131 victory.
We know that when healthy, Curry, Butler and Green will be automatic inclusions in the starting lineup. That now puts the onus on Moody and Post to solidify spots alongside the veteran trio, having found themselves, like almost everybody else, in and out of starting positions over the past 12 months.
We've seen that Curry can almost single-handedly generate a reasonable offense, meaning that Moody and Post's responsibilities may lie mostly on the defensive end where Golden State will have to be elite if they want to be a top six team in the Western Conference. They're ability to hit catch-and-shoot threes is going to be a key factor too, having both been inconsistent at times despite holding solid percentages on the season.
The Warriors need this to work sooner rather than later, not only to move themselves up into a solidified playoff position, but also to ease tension among the roster leading into a big mid-season trade deadline.