Why should the Warriors change anything? They have bursted out to a 9-2 record and really seem to be finding themselves offensively. What they are doing is working — mostly.
Here’s an interesting stat: In five of the Warriors’s 11 games, the team has trailed at the end of the first quarter. There’s obviously several of factors that go into that.
But if you are trying to find the one that sticks out like a sore thumb, it’s Zaza Pachulia.
At the time Pachulia left the floor midway through the first quarter Wednesday vs. Toronto, the Warriors were a -9 so far this season in 177 minutes. Pachulia’s defense has been problematic to start games. And when he’s been out of the lineup in the second quarter, the Warriors have repeatedly gone on scoring tears.
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Steve Kerr will not bench a 13-year veteran like Pachulia this early in the season. He’s loyal to the soil. He was during Harrison Barnes’s struggles last year, and he was in giving Anderson Varejao minutes in Game 7. Kerr values experience. It would be a little awkward for Pachulia to start playing garbage time minutes with Ian Clark and James Michael McAdoo.
But Kerr has to consider the team over one lone individual. Is there a way to generate more production?
JaVale McGee is the trendy choice to eat some of Pachulia’s minutes, but what about Kevon Looney? The Warriors have created a hyper-focus for him to play just big man, and he’s been terrific. His net rating on offense (113.3) and defense (111.8) are both better than Pachulia’s and he’s built to guard the center position.
Here’s a statistical breakdown — season totals in parenthesis:
Minutes played: Pachulia (178), Looney (78)
Field goals: Pachulia (19), Looney (14)
Field goal percentage: Pachulia (61.3), Looney (77.8)
Blocks: Pachulia (3), Looney (3)
Turnovers: Pachulia (15), Looney (3)
It’s understandable Kerr’s hesitation. Looney is essentially a rookie averaging just 7.8 minutes per game and Pachulia has been around the block. But some of these numbers show a young player flashing potential, and an older player possibly regressing.
Starting fast in the first quarter should be a key objective for the Warriors in their upcoming slew of games. If first quarter issues persist, Kerr really should consider seeing how the lineup reacts with Looney starting at big man — although sadly, Kerr didn’t even give him a single minute of playing time against the Raptors.
KNBR.com’s managing video editor Josh Lander and I discussed this storyline and many others surrounding the Warriors Thursday on The KJ Podcast.
