Golden State Warriors starting center DeMarcus Cousins has been out of commission for the defending champions ever since he blew out his quad in Game 2 of their first round series against the Los Angeles Clippers. Since then, Warriors coach Steve Kerr has randomly fielded in different guys to be the fifth guy in the starting lineup.
Jordan Bell, who started for the Warriors in their series-clinching Game 4 win against the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals, admitted that the defending champs don't really care who starts at the five position, per Tim Kawakami of The Athletic.
“I don’t think anybody cares who starts — we don’t ever talk about it, like, at all, ” said Bell.
“Like you said, Loon plays the most minutes and he doesn’t start. I’m pretty sure he’d rather have more minutes than starting. I feel like once you get out of high school, starting doesn’t really mean anything. I think everybody knows, it doesn’t matter who starts, it’s who finishes the game. That’s the most important role.”
As Bell mentioned above, Kevon Looney, who interestingly is the only Warriors big man to have never received the starting nod at center in the 2019 postseason, has been their best man in the middle through this playoff run.
Looney has certainly earned his paycheck with the way he has stepped up for Golden State, especially since Kevin Durant went down in Game 5 of the Rockets series. Over this stretch, the 23-year old center has been averaging 10.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 block while shooting at a 77.4 percent clip from the field.
Bell has, likewise, given the Warriors great minutes in his limited time on the floor, providing the defending champs with hustle plays, great defensive activity, and even some playmaking.
The Warriors will reportedly get All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins back at some point in their Finals clash with the Toronto Raptors. With the way Golden State's young big men are playing, it will be hard for Steve Kerr to keep any of them off the floor.
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