All Warrior Lineup Are On Shift Due To……
The Warriors had a fast decline after going up 6-2 at the beginning, and they have since had trouble finding ways to win. Golden State is currently looking for answers as it tries to make things better.
Amid another losing streak, head coach Steve Kerr elected to make changes to the starting lineup, moving 10-year veteran Andrew Wiggins to the bench.
Wiggins, who joined the Warriors ahead of the 2020 trade deadline, took the move in stride but it was certainly a shock. It marked the first time in 657 career regular-season games that the former No. 1 pick would come off the bench.
Why was Wiggins moved to the bench by Kerr? Here’s what the lead player for Golden State had to say about the choice and its potential implications for the team going forward.
Why is Andrew Wiggins coming off the bench for Warriors?
Ahead of the Warriors’ meeting with the Clippers on Dec. 14, Kerr made a move to employ a new starting lineup, inserting rookie Brandin Podziemski and former lottery pick Jonathan Kuminga in place of Wiggins and Draymond Green, who has been suspended indefinitely by the league.
The change yielded mixed results: Golden State suffered its third consecutive loss but Kuminga finished with 15 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes of action while Wiggins finished with nine of the 39 points the Warriors’ new second unit scored in the game.
And while Golden State fell to 10-14 on the season following the defeat, Kerr has indicated that he will stick with the change.
“It felt like we needed a shift,” Kerr said of his decision. “I feel like Brandin gives us the extra playmaker on the floor in the starting lineup. Obviously, he’s a great rebounder, competes, excellent defender.
“It feels like a group that can truly connect, and [Jonathan Kuminga] deserves the minutes. With Draymond out, it’s the ideal time for him to step in.” We have a deep squad, and I like having the option to start Moses [Moody] and Wiggs off the bench with Chris [Paul] and Dario [Saric], two really good players, to really anchor that unit. We have a lot of depth, and I believe we can succeed here. I firmly think that.
Kerr added “this group will start the next few games and we’ll give it a good look,” suggesting that this switch is not temporary.
The player who benefited the most from the lineup change in the opening game was Klay Thompson, who scored a season-high 30 points while draining eight three-pointers. But Stephen Curry was unable to find his rhythm, managing only 17 points on 5-of-17 shooting from the field, including 3 of 13 from beyond the arc.
As Green’s potential return date is unknown, sticking with Kuminga for the foreseeable future is the logical choice. Wiggins’ move to the bench gives him a new role to turn things around for a largely disappointing season.
Wiggins is shooting 26.4 percent from three-point range and 41.4 percent from the field through 22 games, which is a career-low average of 12.0 points. Wiggins sustained a rib fracture during the 2023 playoffs, which might have hindered his ability to train during the offseason in order to get ready for the 2023–2024 season.
By sticking with these lineups, Kerr may have taken some of the pressure off of Wiggins, giving him a chance to flourish as he adjusts to a role he has never played before in his career.