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In beating the Grizzlies on Monday at Chase Center, the Warriors displayed the key to battling through a grueling 82-game season.
The secret is well-known within recent Warriors history, and it looks something like strength in numbers.
Jonathan Kuminga, committed to making an impact on the glass, logged 25 points and 10 rebounds. Brandin Podziemski nailed a 3-pointer on Golden State’s opening possession and added four more on a 23-point night. Moses Moody came off the bench to score 20 points in 22 minutes.
Warriors veterans Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, and Al Horford aren’t going to be at full throttle — or available — every night from October to April. Getting contributions from the rest of the roster, particularly Golden State’s youth movement, can help rise the team’s tide.
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It sure did in Golden State’s 131-118 win over Memphis in front of a rocking home crowd. Green fired up fans with his theatrics after committing a flagrant foul on Santi Aldama, Butler paced the Warriors with 20 points on only eight field goal attempts, and Curry was a +17 in his 30 minutes.
But it was the Warriors’ 23-and-unders that eased the burdens on their shoulders. It was the first time ever that all three of Kuminga, Podziemski, and Moody scored at least 20 points in a single game, a possible sign that their developmental arcs are converging at the right time.
“That’s how you get through the regular season,” Curry said. “Just the unpredictability but (also) the confidence that everybody can step up.”
Podziemski’s strong scoring night came hours after head coach Steve Kerr said the third-year guard had been “pressing.” Through the team’s first three games, Podziemski shot just 36% from the field and 30% from deep. Monday’s performance should quell concerns of a repeat of last season’s slow start, when he shot 18.5% from 3-point range across the first month.
Kuminga continued his eye-opening start to the season by defending Grizzlies star Ja Morant as well as finding his spots within the offense. The forward has 32 rebounds through four games after his sixth career 20-10 night.
“JK has been fantastic,” Kerr said. “It just feels like he’s found his spot within this group, playing with Jimmy and Dray on the front line. And we just feel like the way he’s rebounding, the way he’s attacking the rim, that’s what makes him special — his athleticism, his force. And when he’s playing to that talent, to that ability, it changes our team.”
Kuminga’s work on the glass in particular has been a revelation. He said he spent this summer — amid contract drama — thinking about what he needed to add to his game, and specifically honed in on rebounding as a way to impact winning.
“Just the commitment of just doing it, no matter what,” Kuminga said. “If I’m making shots or not making shots, not seeing the ball or seeing the ball. Just having that commitment, going out there chasing those rebounds wherever they go. Those rebounds, some of those help win games. Just having that mindset from the beginning, it’s something that I’m trying to have going throughout the year and throughout my career, working on finding those balls.”
Kuminga’s fellow 2021 lottery pick, Moody, came off the bench firing. He hit five of his seven 3-pointers and got fouled on another attempt. Moody was on fire in the preseason before a minor calf issue knocked him out for the first two games of the season.
It’s safe to say he has his legs back under him now.
A well-rounded effort like Monday’s can have an intrinsic effect on a team.
“It gives everybody confidence, and it also gives everyone kind of a stake in what we’re trying to do,” Kerr said. “It’s my favorite thing, when we can get 10, 12 guys contributing to a win. Every night’s different, but everybody feels really engaged and important. There’s a spirit that’s captured within the team. This group has a real chance to do that. We’ve got such good guys and so much depth, so many people who can play. This was a great example of that tonight.”
Getting strong production from the Warriors’ young crop gives Kerr added flexibility to tinker with different lineups. Against Denver, the Warriors showcased a supersized lineup with both Green and Al Horford (Kuminga was nominally the shooting guard). They got through stretches of the Memphis victory with downsized groups of Gui Santos playing center.
“That’s a very Steve Kerr kind of way of getting through a regular season, where you’re trying to just find energy in the right moments of a game,” Curry said.
Horford sat Monday because it was the first game of a back-to-back. The Warriors made that decision based on the matchup; they want him to battle imposing Clippers center Ivica Zubac on Tuesday. Podziemski, Kuminga, and Moody helped the Warriors build a big enough lead to allow Curry, Butler, and Green to play just 30, 31 and 27 minutes against Memphis, respectively.
They should be rested for the Clippers, who have won seven of their past eight matchups with the Warriors. Another wave of scoring from Golden State’s youth would surely help reverse that trend.
“There will be games when all of the uncs are out, and they’re going to have to step up,” Curry said.