The Golden State Warriors find themselves in a tough position. They are down in their first-round NBA playoff series with the Sacramento Kings 0-2 as they head home for Game 3 tonight at the Chase Center.
Winning that game became a little more difficult when Draymond Green was suspended by the league for one game after stomping on Domantas Sabonis in the fourth quarter of Game 2. Green is an integral part of the Warriors’ game plan, so head coach Steve Kerr will have his hands full figuring out how to replace him in the lineup.
That isn’t the only issue that Kerr is reportedly dealing with. According to Chris Broussard, there is an issue bubbling up in the team’s locker room. He is reporting that the younger players on the roster, Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga and Donte DiVincenzo, are unhappy with their current roles.
“I was talking to somebody earlier who’s ‘in the know’ who said that some of their players are pouting. The young boys. Kuminga, DiVincenzo, Jordan Poole… cause they’re not getting minutes.”
As if there weren’t enough things to worry about heading into a must-win Game 3, there is even more on the table for Kerr to deal with. Poole is averaging 18.5 minutes per game thus far in the postseason, while DiVincenzo is averaging 16 and has started one game. Kumings has received spot minutes, playing only 7.0 minutes per game.
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The presence of Gary Payton II has certainly changed how the rotation runs for the Warriors. He is someone with championship experience that Kerr trusts and his role has grown in the postseason from the regular season. Given the impact he can have defensively, Payton has seemingly jumped over Poole in the pecking order for minutes.
This pouting, as Broussard put it via his source, is the last thing that the Warriors need. Golden State has a veteran roster, but any unnecessary distractions aren’t needed with Green already putting the team behind the eight-ball.
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It will be interesting to see how those players respond following that report. They could all see more minutes in Game 3 with Green suspended, especially Kuminga, who showed some real flashes during the regular season with an expanded role in Year 2.
With the team failing to win either of the first two games in the series, a change to the rotation could be coming even when Green returns to the lineup. Winning is the best deodorant and right now after two losses, some contentious feelings are beginning to rise to the surface.
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