The benefits of a deep roster were on vivid display Tuesday night, and not only because the Warriors rolled to victory with Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins watching from the bench.
Their 124-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans was a small surprise considering they were slight underdogs, opened with three players making their first starts of the season and a 14-point first quarter that ended with Golden State trailing by 17.
Given the makeup of this team, what occurred over the next 36 minutes could become the norm. The Warriors’ 110-75 rout over the final three quarters was a direct result of being the more committed squad.
“They were just the more aggressive team, and we didn’t respond when they picked up their physicality,” Pelicans star Zion Williamson told reporters at Chase Center.
The Warriors are exhibiting an elite hustle game this season and there it was again. They chased loose balls with zest. They harassed the Pelicans to such a degree that they committed 24 turnovers, off which Golden State scored 34 points.
“Can you win can when you're not shooting well? How do you do that?” coach Steve Kerr asked in his postgame news conference. “You defend, you rebound, you keep your poise. And everybody who comes off the bench continues to bring energy. That's what I liked most about this game tonight. We saw all those things happen and that allowed us to turn it around.”
Each man taking the floor did so with fire in his gut and conviction in his heart. When Kerr announced last week that he intends to play his entire roster, it was apparent that all ears were engaged.
Golden State Warriors
Everyone – particularly those who opened the season coming off the bench – inferred that the distribution of minutes would be determined in real-time and based mostly on merit.
“When Steve finds a group that is playing really well, he’s going to ride that wave,” Buddy Hield told reporters. “As he should, because it gives everybody energy from the bench, and it trickles down as a second-hand effect.”
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This game was an illustration of a team on which most of the players are chasing respect and knowing the surest path to getting it is by showing how much winning means to you. Every man on the roster wants to prove he is a legitimate NBA player and, furthermore, that he has the goods to make an impact.
Put simply, each man wants to be so effective in his minutes that Kerr will have a difficult time subbing him out. And the grit was visible on offense and defense.
Hield, normally the team’s Sixth Man, started in place of Andrew Wiggins at shooting guard, got no traction and at the half had only three points, on 1-of-8 shooting, including 1-of-5 from deep. He came off the bench in the second half and lit up the Pelicans for 25 points, on 8-of-10 shooting, making all six of his 3-point attempts.
Lindy Waters, the team’s 13th man, inherited the Sixth Man role and prospered in his first opportunity to play meaningful minutes. He finished with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Waters played 31 minutes and looked ready for more.
“It was very contagious, exciting, exhilarating,” Waters said. “We started getting stops, started playing more physical on the defensive end. We started rebounding and running, you know we started flowing on offense. Guys started having fun, shots going in, so very contagious.”
The brotherhood vibes of training camp are carrying over to the regular season. Everybody wants action, but everybody is willing to share on the journey. Once that atrocious first quarter passed, the Warriors reconvened and came out on a mission. They managed two assists in the first quarter, and 32 over the final three.
The kind of doggedness needed for the Warriors to regain the respect lost after missing the playoffs last season was on full display. Curry and Wiggins were enjoying the runaway in comfortable clothes. Kerr allowed himself the wide smile of a proud coach.
“I’m just happy to have this kind of depth for nights like tonight, when we’re missing three guys,” Kerr said. “And it’ll pay off big time for us over the course of 82.”
Once threatened, the Warriors fought back with a vengeance. There was no flinching, not the slightest sign of retreat or even concern. With a few words of encouragement from Draymond Green, they came together, got dirty and had the belief this was the way.
