SAN FRANCISCO, CA– The two words lingering around the Golden State Warriors right now are frustration and continuity.
Nobody on the team is happy about the underwhelming, tepid 13-14 start to the season, given the expectations, the star power, and proof from last season's 23-8 record after the Jimmy Butler trade that they are capable of more.
And everybody understands that with consistency running thin in every facet of their game, from the shaky point-of-attack defense and the lack of offensive rhythm for anyone not named Stephen Curry to the game-to-game play of their young core and ageing veterans, they need continuity.
It's why Steve Kerr will commit to a starting lineup, at least for the foreseeable future. In search of something stable, the Warriors will lean on Curry, Moses Moody, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, and Quinten Post, the lineup they started in the loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
“I would love for this to be our starting lineup,” Kerr explained on Tuesday this week. The biggest tradeoff in this lineup is Green at the four instead of at the small-ball five, which has historically been the heart of the Warriors' most deadly combinations. But Kerr's willing to make that tradeoff for now.
“We’re more dynamic speed-wise and disruptive defensively when he [Green] is at the five. He’s pushing the ball, he’s playing center field, and blowing up a lot of things defensively. But when he’s at the four, he’s more on the perimeter offensively. So we’re not quite as dynamic, but I think the trade-off is a good one. We get some minutes from him at the four, we can close the game with him at the five anytime we want.
How does this starting five stack up analytically?
Analytically, that lineup hasn't been spectacular in the limited minutes those five have played together. Per Cleaning the Glass, across 55 possessions Curry-Moody-Butler-Green-Post combination, they are a -24.0 in efficiency differential (points scored per possession subtracted by points allowed per possession). Traditionally, the Warriors' best lineups have come with Green as the small-ball five.
But in theory, that lineup, if given the runway, solves a lot of the Warriors' problems– specifically in their inability to properly empower the star core.
By putting Moody and Post in position to get more minutes with Curry, Butler, and Green, the Warriors are banking on the positive advanced statistics they've already tallied up with the stars.
The Curry-Green-Moody trio is Golden State's best offensive three-man combination, boasting a 121.9 offensive rating and a solid 110.2 defensive rating.
They're asking Moody to be the linchpin of this lineup. The three-and-D dirty work shooting guard who has to guard the other team's best player on one end and knock down open jumpers on the other. In many ways, Moody starting is a plan delayed. Kerr wanted to start Moody at the beginning of the season, but a minor calf injury derailed that initial plan.
As for Post, his fit reads like a no-brainer. According to the on/off numbers, the Warriors allow 9.7 fewer points when Post is on the floor, which is the best on the team and ranks in the 93rd percentile in the NBA. He's in five of the Dubs' ten best defensive trios by defensive rating.
“This will give QP, who’s had a great year, who’s playing at a very high level, especially defensively, the size rebounding – I like that. We’re a pretty small team in general. So to get QP in the starting lineup with Dray feels good.”
What happened to their best lineup from last season?
There's one lineup from last season, a five-man group the advanced numbers favor, that the Warriors haven't used all that much this season. The Curry-Podziemski-Moody-Butler-Green lineup, the starting lineup they used in their 23-8 run to close the 2024-25 regular season last year, has only played 17 minutes together this season. A grand total of 55 possessions.
That small-ball lineup was the bread and butter of Golden State's massive turnaround post-trade deadline.
They tallied a 120.6 offensive rating, a 104.2 defensive rating, and a +16.4 net rating. That lineup won all the important categories, namely the turnover and the free-throw battles. They forced a 19.9% opponent turnover percentage, which ranked in the 96th percentile in the league, and collected a free-throw rate of 24.4 per 100 field goal attempts.
Those numbers are slightly down this season, but it also hasn't been used all that much to merit any significant conclusions. On Wednesday afternoon, before the team's flight to Phoenix, Kerr explained why that lineup hasn't seen more play this season.
“I think we had every intention of using it to start the year,” Kerr said. “And then Moses was injured, and JK played really well, so we wanted to reward him, and we stayed with that lineup, and so we haven't gotten to it as much. We tried it a little bit the other night.”
Kerr also pointed to trying to preserve Green from the wear and tear that lineup puts on him. He did acknowledge that they want to see more of that combination moving forward.
“It's a lineup that we will probably will get to more often, but between the injuries and just different people stepping up and playing well and wanting to reward those guys, we haven't gotten to that lineup as often as we
can.”
Stray rotational notes, DNPs, and Jonathan Kuminga
The other question mark for the Warriors' rotation is the depth. There's a limit to how deep an NBA team can go into its bench, and the Warriors have tested that theory a lot this season.
“We have 14-15, guys who I feel very comfortable putting on the floor, but I also only feel comfortable playing 11 at the most each night. Really 10,” Kerr said. “And so no matter how we slice it, I'm going to come up here and you're going to ask me about three different guys, you know, and, and it's, and it's fair, because they can all play.”
As of late, the sacrifices to the DNP gods have been Will Richard, Seth Curry, and most notably Jonathan Kuminga. And while it seems like the rookie and the sharpshooter will remain on the outskirts for the foreseeable future, Kerr sounded like he may go back to Kuminga once again, after the forward had a strong week at practice.
“JK, has been great [at practice] this last week, as he's been out of the rotation. He's working really hard, and I'm going to reward that. He needs to be back out there.”
Steve Kerr said that Jonathan Kuminga could be back in the rotation for tomorrow’s game with the Suns:
“JK has been great [in practice] this last week as he’s been out of the rotation. He’s working really hard and I’m going to reward that. He’s needs to be back out there.” pic.twitter.com/sWtz1y0PJd
— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) December 17, 2025
Based on those comments, Kuminga seems poised to find some minutes in the Dubs' upcoming games against the Phoenix Suns.
Regardless, the state of the Warriors' rotation right now is the result of losing. It's obvious, but losing makes everything unstable. It's what makes a team like the Warriors play nine different starting lineups in nine straight games for a grand total of 15 unique starting fives on the season. And until the win total starts to tick up, the rotation will remain a revolving door until something more drastic occurs.
