It has been the biggest storyline around the Warriors since they acquired Chris Paul, and it will be one of the most-watched questions of the preseason:
Who is the Warriors’ starting five? And closing five?
The Warriors starting five last season — Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney — had an insanely good +22.1 net rating (via Cleaning the Glass) and was one of the best five-man units in the NBA. Chris Paul is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, one of the best floor generals the game has ever seen and has not come off the bench once in his entire career.
So who starts? Kerr met with the media Monday and said he has not made a decision.
"We basically have six starters."
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) September 25, 2023
Kerr on the Warriors' rotations with CP3 in the mix pic.twitter.com/pOWaMrYjzw
“We basically have six starters, the way I look at it. And only five can can go each night so, I haven’t decided yet what we’re going to do. I want to see training camp, we’re going to try different combinations and take a look. Obviously all six guys are going to play a lot of minutes for us. But you know, if this is going to work then everybody has to embrace it, regardless of who’s starting and who’s not. It only works if the whole team buys in, and I know these guys will. I know five of them really well. And I’m getting to know Chris and I one thing I know about all of them is they want to win more than anything. They’re an incredibly competitive group. And I’m very confident that we’ll figure it out and the guys will buy in and find a way.”
This echoes what Kerr has said previously.
The buy-in part is everything for the Warriors. The most logical basketball move would be to have Paul come off the bench and run the second unit while Curry sits (Golden State’s biggest weakness in recent years is its non-Curry minutes), but Kerr’s job is more about managing egos and keeping players focused and in a good place more than it is Xs and Os. If what’s best for locker room chemistry is for CP3 to start, then he starts.
Kerr addressed several other topics, including how he may not have a contract beyond this season right now but he expects to sign one — thank you Monty Williams for getting Kerr a raise — and isn’t worried about it.
"I'm not stressed about it at all."
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) September 25, 2023
Steve Kerr shares where things stand with his contract extension pic.twitter.com/yss1IRKNBa
Kerr also discussed his relationship with Chris Paul and how that is developing.
"I really like Chris because he likes phone calls and not texts."
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) September 25, 2023
Kerr is excited to coach CP3 this season 😂 pic.twitter.com/X5FkQSSYBf
