“Obviously, he's a starter, but the question is: can we put him on the field more with Draymond? » This is the question that Steve Kerr asked Thursday evening about Jonathan Kuminga, and his presence alongside Draymond Green in the starting five. A priori, the Warriors coach does not have the answer since he chose to keep “JK” in his five, and to use Green as a 6th man against the Wolves!
“I want to study this” he warns. “We're trying to maximize Jonathan's potential by playing with Wiggs and Loon. Which also means that Draymond doesn’t start by defending on a pivot, and that’s important.” In this case, it was a question of not starting the match against his good friend Rudy Gobert this night.
Like other coaches, Steve Kerr also justifies himself by explaining that the most important thing is to know who is on the field in the last minutes of a match. “I want Draymond to finish matches as a center. In theory, I think it's good but we also need to play better and make better decisions.” he continues.
A complicated puzzle
This is not the first time that Steve Kerr has tried to use Draymond Green as a 6th man, and 18 months ago, the person explained that he was open on the subject. It was also at his request. “I'm a big believer in the idea that when something works, don't fix it. I never want to reach the point in my career where I feel entitled to demand something. I wanted to do what I thought was best for the team.” he explained at the time.
Today, Steve Kerr assures us that he would like it not to be a “one shot” and that the experience continues.
“I'd like to try, but we'll see what happens with Wiggs and Moses. Each injury affects all rotations » he concludes. “The idea is that we try to make the most of Jonathan's ability to attack the rim, to give him more time. We're looking for ways to get these guys more involved without burning out Draymond and Steph, and that's the challenge. We must constantly think about everything. At the same time, I don't want a constantly changing rotation all season. It's a complicated puzzle right now, trying to adjust the lineups and find the right combinations. My staff and I have to find them. »
It remains to be seen whether this option suits Stephen Curry, who is losing his best accomplice in attack.
| Draymond Green | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2012-13 | GOS | 79 | 13 | 32.7 | 20.9 | 81.8 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 2.9 |
| 2013-14 | GOS | 82 | 22 | 40.7 | 33.3 | 66.7 | 1.0 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 6.2 |
| 2014-15 | GOS | 79 | 32 | 44.3 | 33.7 | 66.0 | 1.4 | 6.7 | 8.2 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 11.7 |
| 2015-16 | GOS | 81 | 35 | 49.0 | 38.8 | 69.6 | 1.7 | 7.8 | 9.5 | 7.4 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 1.4 | 14.0 |
| 2016-17 | GOS | 76 | 33 | 41.8 | 30.8 | 70.9 | 1.3 | 6.6 | 7.9 | 7.0 | 2.9 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 10.2 |
| 2017-18 | GOS | 70 | 33 | 45.4 | 30.1 | 77.5 | 1.1 | 6.6 | 7.6 | 7.3 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 11.0 |
| 2018-19 | GOS | 66 | 31 | 44.5 | 28.5 | 69.2 | 0.9 | 6.4 | 7.3 | 6.9 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 7.4 |
| 2019-20 | GOS | 43 | 28 | 38.9 | 27.9 | 75.9 | 0.5 | 5.7 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 8.0 |
| 2020-21 | GOS | 63 | 32 | 44.7 | 27.0 | 79.5 | 0.9 | 6.3 | 7.1 | 8.9 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 7.0 |
| 2021-22 | GOS | 46 | 29 | 52.5 | 29.6 | 65.9 | 1.0 | 6.3 | 7.3 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 7.5 |
| 2022-23 | GOS | 73 | 32 | 52.7 | 30.5 | 71.3 | 0.9 | 6.3 | 7.2 | 6.8 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 8.5 |
| 2023-24 | GOS | 55 | 27 | 49.7 | 39.5 | 73.0 | 1.4 | 5.9 | 7.2 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 8.6 |
| 2024-25 | GOS | 19 | 29 | 43.3 | 40.3 | 60.4 | 0.9 | 5.3 | 6.3 | 5.9 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 8.8 |
| Total | 832 | 29 | 45.1 | 32.2 | 70.9 | 1.1 | 5.9 | 7.0 | 5.6 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 8.7 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
