Steve Kerr admits Green at center ‘isn’t an 82-game plan thing’
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is with him his current starting five, but he’s already warning that the small-ball experiment won’t last all season.
The warriors will hold on same starting lineup for their Friday night matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers. Kerr confirmed that Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Jimmy Butler, Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green will open the game. This group helped Golden State start the season with a perfect 2-0 record, including wins over the Lakers and an overtime thriller against the Denver Nuggets.
However, Kerr made it clear that this is not a permanent solution. “Draymond in Game 5 can’t be an 82-game thing,” the Golden State coach said, per ESPN’s Anthony Slater. While Green’s defensive versatility and basketball IQ make him effective at center, his 6-foot-6 frame creates challenges when facing bigger opponents night after night.
Green himself was honest about the physical charge regular playing center. “Playing the five, it’s too much. And I’m always up for it, as you know, bro, like any challenge you talk about, but it’s an uphill battle every night. Guys that are 60 to 80 pounds bigger than me, four inches, five inches, six, seven inches,” Green said earlier.
Why can’t Green play center all season
Playing Green in the center works great in short stretches. The Warriors famously used this strategy during their championship runs with a “death lineup” that changed the way teams thought about small-ball basketball. But asking Green to battle seven-stoppers for 82 games would wear him out physically.
In Thursday’s win over Denver, Kerr showed off his alternate plan by using a bigger lineup with Green and Al Horford on the court together. That combination somewhat helped the Warriors to deal with Nikola Jokić and secure the victory.
The Warriors are getting reinforcements Moses Moody made his season debut against Portland. According to Slater, Moody missed the first two games with a calf injury, but is expected to play around 20 minutes. His return gives the Warriors another wing defender and scorer.
2025-10-25 02:56:00
