Steve Kerr commits to starting line-up – Will it solve their inconsistency?

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The two words that hang around the Golden State Warriors right now they are frustration and continuity.

No one on the team is happy about the underwhelming, tepid start to the 13-14 season, given the expectations, the star power and the evidence from last season’s 23-8 record after the Jimmy Butler trade that they are capable of more.

And everyone understands they need continuity, with consistency in every facet of their game lacking, from shaky defense at the point of attack and a lack of offensive rhythm for anyone not named Stephen Curry to the game-to-game play of their young core and aging veterans.

That’s why Steve Kerr will commit to the starting lineup, at least for the foreseeable future. In search of something stable, the Warriors will rely on Curry, Moses Moody, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Quinten Post, the lineup they started in the loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

“I would like this to be our starting lineup,” Kerr explained on Tuesday this week. The biggest compromise in this lineup is Green at the four instead of the small-ball five, which has historically been the heart of the Warriors’ most lethal combinations. But Kerr is willing to compromise for now.

“We’re more dynamic with speed and more destructive defensively when he’s (Green) at the five. He pushes the ball, plays midfield and blows up a lot of things defensively. But when he’s at the four, he’s more on the perimeter offensively. So we’re not quite as dynamic, but I think we can trade him a good minute. play him at the five whenever we want.

How does this starting five stack up analytically?

Analytically, that lineup hasn’t been spectacular in the limited minutes these five have played together. After cleaning the glass, over 55 properties A combination of Curry-Moody-Butler-Green-Post, they are a -24.0 efficiency differential (points scored per possession minus points allowed per possession). Traditionally, the Warriors’ best lineups have come with Green as the small-ball five.

But in theory, that lineup, if given the runaround, solves many of the Warriors’ problems — particularly their inability to properly power their core stars.

By putting Moody and Post in position to get more minutes with Curry, Butler and Green, the Warriors are building on the positive forward stats they’ve already matched with the stars.

The Curry-Green-Moody trio is Golden State’s best offensive line a combination of threewith a 121.9 offensive rating and a solid 110.2 defensive rating.

They are looking to Moody to be the mainstay in this lineup. A three-and-D dirty shooting guard who has to guard the other team’s best player on one end and knock down open jumpers on the other. In many ways, Moody’s start is a plan delayed. Kerr wanted to start Moody early in the season, but a minor calf injury derailed that initial plan.

As for Post, his condition reads as unreasonable. According to the on/off numbers, the Warriors are allowing 9.7 fewer points when Post is on the floor, which is the best on the team and ranks in the 93rd percentile in the NBA. He is in five of the Dubs’ top ten defensive trios in defensive rating.

“This will give KP, who has had a great year, who plays at a very high level, especially defensively, a big jump – I like that. We’re a pretty small team overall. So it’s good to have KP in the starting lineup with Dreja.”

What happened to their best lineup from last season?

There is one lineup from last season, a five-man group favored by advanced numbers, that the Warriors haven’t used as much this season. The lineup of Curry-Podziemski-Moody-Butler-Green, the starting lineup they used in their 23-8 run to close the 2024-25 regular season last year, has played just 17 minutes combined this season. A total of 55 properties.

That small-ball lineup was the bread and butter of Golden State’s big turnaround after the trade deadline.

They posted a 120.6 offensive rating, a 104.2 defensive rating and a +16.4 net rating. That lineup won in every important category, namely turnovers and free throw contests. They forced 19.9% ​​of their opponents’ turnover percentage, which ranked in the 96th percentile in the league, and collected a free throw rate of 24.4 per 100 field goal attempts.

Those numbers are down slightly this season, but it also hasn’t been used enough to merit any significant conclusions. On Wednesday afternoon, before the team’s flight to Phoenix, Kerr explained why that lineup didn’t see any more play this season.

“I think we had every intention of using it to start the year,” Kerr said. “And then Moses got injured and Jack was playing really well, so we wanted to reward him and we stuck with it. that lineup, so we didn’t get that far. We tried a little the other night.”

Kerr also pointed out that he is trying to protect Green from the wear and tear that lineup puts on him. He admitted they want to see more of that combination going forward.

“That’s a lineup we’re probably going to get to more often, but between injuries and just different people stepping up and playing well and wanting to reward those guys, we haven’t gotten to that lineup as often as we have.”
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Stray rotary notes, DNPs and Jonathan Cumminga

Another question mark for the Warriors’ rotation is depth. There’s a limit to how deep an NBA team can go in its bench, and the Warriors have tested that theory plenty this season.

“We have 14-15 guys that I feel very comfortable putting on the floor, but I also feel comfortable playing 11 at most every night. Really 10,” Kerr said. “And so no matter how we slice it, I’m going to come in here and you’re going to ask me about three different guys, you know, and, and that’s, and that’s fair, because everybody can play.”

Lately, victims of the DNP gods have been Will Richard, Seth Curry, and most notably Jonathan Cumminga. And while the rookie and scorer seems likely to remain on the fringes for the foreseeable future, Kerr has sounded off as if he might return to Kuminga againafter the forward had a strong week in training.

“JK, he’s been great (in practice) this past week, being out of the rotation. He’s working really hard, and I’m going to reward that. He’s got to get back out there.”

Steve Kerr says Jonathan Cumminga could be back in the rotation for tomorrow’s game with the Suns:

“JK was great (in practice) this past week being out of the rotation. He’s working really hard and I’m going to reward that. He’s got to get back out there.” pic.twitter.com/sVtz1i0PJd

— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) December 17, 2025

Based on these comments, it appears that Kuminga is ready to find some minutes in the Dubs’ upcoming games against the Phoenix Suns.

Regardless, the current state of the Warriors’ rotation is a result of the loss. It’s obvious, but a loss makes everything unstable. That’s what causes a team like the Warriors to field nine different starting lineups in nine consecutive games for a total of 15 unique starting fives on the season. And until the win total starts to rise, the rotation will remain a revolving door until something more drastic happens.