Steve Kerr shocked Golden State Warriors fans when he deployed a 12-man rotation on opening night against the Portland Trail Blazers. It was a decision that Warriors guard Steph Curry believes is the identity of the current team.
After the Warriors defeated the Trail Blazers on Wednesday night, Curry opened up about the team’s new rotation.
“It’s the identity of this team right now,” Curry said. We’re gonna rely on our depth, the ability to be versatile depending on what the game calls for, what lineup is going well. I’m sure there’s going to be a little bit of narrowing down the rotation at some point depending on how things materialize, but that’s not for us to worry about.”
In theory, it sounds great to use all the depth on a roster and implement a 12-man rotation. However, it’s also a ton of work on the players to learn that amount of rotations and combinations.
“We’re still learning each other in the different rotations and combinations, it’s part of our identity right now,” Curry said.
Not only will players have to learn a greater understanding of each other, but the team can’t have any egos when it comes to using a roster that deep. On some nights, key rotation players might not play.
“You have to have a commitment. No agenda, no egos. Well, healthy egos,” Curry said. “If it’s not your night, can’t bring the team down with your energy. Haven’t seen any red flags of that.”
For now, Steve Kerr’s unexpected decision to use a 12-man rotation has paid off, but it’ll be interesting to see how it looks moving forward.