Kerr to scale down Warriors' bench unit as part of changes

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Back home from a grueling road trip that featured five games in seven days, two back-to-backs and five straight Warriors losses, Steve Kerr is about to unveil changes to his rotation Monday night against the Sacramento Kings. 

Following Sunday's practice, Kerr made it clear Jonathan Kuminga will see plenty more minutes after his impressive showing in New Orleans where he scored 18 points over 38 minutes, while grabbing four rebounds, dishing out two assists, recording two steals and blocking one shot. In front of the home fans, the spotlight will be on the 20-year-old when his number's called. 

Kuminga's role isn't the only that will change, though. Kerr hinted at a shift in the way JaMychal Green will be used, and it could affect more than the veteran big man. 

"We'll be looking at him a little bit at the five, rather than the four," Kerr said during his pregame media session. "He's such a good rebounder and 3-point shooter and screen setter that I have no doubt that he's going to play a role out for us this year. 

"But we gotta change the look, for sure. Part of that will be scaling down, looking at some smaller lineups, fitting guys in where we think they might be a little more comfortable." 

The Warriors have thrived in the past playing small with athletic wings and knock-down shooters. However, scaling down doesn't bode well for 7-footer James Wiseman. The former No. 2 pick has struggled this season, and he doesn't exactly fit with smaller lineups. 

This might also mean more minutes for Kuminga and Green together in the frontcourt. Those two only have shared the floor for 31 minutes this season, and the numbers have been pretty rough. They have produced a 70.3 offensive rating and 115.5 defensive rating. Searching for wins, Kerr has to try something different, and this pairing looks to be a handful of adjustments.

Kerr also emphasized the difficulties of a veteran being integrated into a new team early in the season. The 32-year-old Green seems to still be finding his footing with Golden State. He's shooting 23.5 percent on 3-pointers, and was a combined minus-48 in plus-minus between the Warriors' final three games of their winless road trip. 

Through his first 10 games as a Warrior, Green has spent 82 percent of his time playing power forward, per Basketball-Reference's position estimate. The other 18 percent has been as a center. That actually is a career high, and he has said in the past that he's more than happy fighting down low as the Warriors' five.

"Most definitely," Green said when asked about playing center at times for the Warriors after signing with the defending champions this past offseason. "I feel like every team I've been on so far, I've been the backup five sometimes. 

"I'm comfortable with it."

RELATED: Why Wiseman's thrilling sequence could spark progression

Starting Monday night against Sacramento, we should see how comfortable he really is with an increased role at a somewhat unfamiliar position.

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