With the Warriors' rough start to the 2022-23 season, the chatter about the team's inconsistent bench play grew louder, and pundits wondered if Golden State's run of having the NBA's best reserves was done.
Though Bob Myers understands such criticism, he explained Wednesday on "Warriors Pregame Live" that it was only a matter of time before Golden State's bench unit came together.
"We thought internally that we were better than we were showing, as far as the bench goes," the Warriors' general manager and president of basketball operations told Bonta Hill, Chris Mullin and Festus Ezeli before the matchup with the Detroit Pistons at Chase Center. "Some of these guys ... they needed time to get comfortable."
Myers added that coming off the bench is "a different thing" and noted that reserves who had spot starts -- such as guard Donte DiVincenzo and forward Jonathan Kuminga -- will benefit from that experience later in the season as they grow their confidence.
That said, the front office believed Golden State had an adequate bench unit, according to Myers, because of whom it had signed in the offseason. Myers recognized that the bench's struggles were more related to the unit not playing enough together.
"Basketball is a team thing and it takes time, and rarely do you just take any team and say, 'You five who have never played together, go out and find a rhythm,' " Myers said. "And we've been able to develop some of that."
In the end, Myers believes that when the Warriors are whole again, the bench will have to find a new rhythm. Nevertheless, it should be easier for the players to figure out what that is, now that they've played meaningful minutes together.
Golden State Warriors
"We're thrilled that some of these guys have elevated themselves and look comfortable out there now," Myers said.
As the Warriors soldier on without Kuminga, Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins, JaMychal Green, James Wiseman, they're proving their "Strength in Numbers" mantra to be true. During their current five-game winning streak, DiVincenzo, Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney, Ty Jerome and Anthony Lamb have elevated their play and developed chemistry.
Though Thompson is a star in his own right -- especially after erupting for 54 points Monday against the Atlanta Hawks -- the other aforementioned names were stellar in helping the Warriors survive the double-overtime thriller. Looney, in particular, tipped in the game-winner to keep the Warriors' win streak alive.
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As the season continues to grind away, Warriors fans hope the bench unit can produce at the level Myers and the front office believe it can. If that's the case, the rest of the NBA better watch out down the stretch.