Steve Kerr sprung some surprises with the Golden State Warriors starting lineup against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday (Dec. 30.) Chris Paul and Trayce Jackson-Davis were adding to starting five, replacing Brandin Podziemski and Kevon Looney.
However, Kerr’s changes didn’t stop his team from suffering their third straight defeat. The Mavericks beat the Warriors 132-122. When speaking to the media after the game, Kerr revealed that his adjustments were aimed at giving the Warriors starting five a bigger defensive presence, especially the decision to include Paul, who has always been one of the better defensive guards in the NBA.
“We were looking for a boost defensively,” Kerr said. “The last couple of weeks with that starting group, the defensive numbers weren’t great. I liked the energy shift that we got from it a couple of weeks ago. But, defensively, that lineup wasn’t holding up. So, we were looking for better defense from the start and looking to get Steph more involved as well. We felt like getting Chris on the floor would maybe unlock Steph a little bit…We just couldn’t get stops. It’s hard to win in this league, especially in the modern NBA, if you can’t get stops, because everybody can score.”
The Warriors have now lost three straight. Their on-court energy has abandoned them, and suddenly, the issues that blighted the team throughout November have begun to re-appear.
Kerr says he tinkered with the starting lineup in hopes of a defensive "boost" and unlocking Steph by pairing him with CP3 pic.twitter.com/rHKdFqTVKh
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 31, 2023
Golden State will likely look to get their season back on track when they face the Orlando Magic on Tuesday (Jan. 2.)
